Police video of Justin Timberlake’s 2024 drunken driving arrest released

NEW YORK (AP) โ€”ย Justin Timberlakeย struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after he was pulled over inย New Yorkโ€™s Hamptonsย in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released Friday.

The pop star tells officers at one point, โ€œthese are like really hard tests.โ€

The footage, which runs roughly eight hours, includes Timberlakeโ€™s initial stop after Sag Harbor police said heย ran a stop signย in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol that June.

The NSYNC singer-turned-solo artist and actor tells officers he had consumed one martini and had been following friends home in the former whaling village, which is among the affluent beach towns of the Hamptons, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.

When an officer asks why he is in town, Timberlake says, โ€œIโ€™m on a world tour.โ€

โ€œDoing what?โ€ the officer asks.

โ€œHard to explain,โ€ Timberlake says.

After stammering a bit, he says โ€œWorld tour. Iโ€™m Justin Timberlake.โ€

The officer eventually responds: โ€œYou are Justin Timberlake? Do you have a license with you?โ€

Timberlake, who ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, is asked by officers to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line on the road and lift one leg. At times he seems flustered listening to the instructions. He apologizes to officers and tells them his heart is racing.

โ€œIโ€™m a little nervous,โ€ Timberlake says at one point.

In the back seat of the police car, he asks: โ€œWhy are you arresting me?โ€

Back at the police station, Timberlake is informed he will be held overnight, to which he says, โ€œIโ€™m going to be here all night? You guys are wild, man.โ€

He asks the officer to keep the light on in the cell as they lock the door.

The release by Sag Harbor Police comes after the village and Timberlakeโ€™s lawyers agreed to disclose a redacted version of the footage. The Associated Press was among several media outlets that filed a records request seeking the release of the video.

Timberlake’s lawyers hadย sued to blockย the release of the video, arguing it would โ€œdevastateโ€ Timberlakeโ€™s privacy by revealing โ€œintimate, highly personal, and sensitive details.โ€ They also said it would cause โ€œsevere and irreparable harmโ€ to his reputation by subjecting him to โ€œpublic ridicule and harassment.โ€

But in a joint filing with the village Friday, Timberlake’s lawyers acknowledged the video โ€œdoes not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy underโ€ the state’s public information law and agreed to its release.

Timberlake’s lawyers and representatives didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

Sag Harbor officials, in a statement provided by the village’s lawyer, Vincent Toomey, said they are pleased the matter was resolved and they were able to comply with state public records law.

โ€œFrom the beginning of this matter, after Mr. Timberlakeโ€™s arrest, the Village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Law,โ€ the statement reads. โ€œAs would be true in any case involving records or video footage from our Police Department, such material is reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.โ€

Timberlake pleaded guilty to impaired driving in September 2024.

The Tennessee native agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part ofย the plea dealย that knocked down his initial misdemeanor charge to a noncriminal traffic violation.

He was also sentenced to a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his license.