Police video of Justin Timberlake

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests that required him to walk in a straight line and stand on one leg after police officers stopped him in New York’s Hamptons in 2024 because they suspected he was driving drunk, according to a video released Friday.

The pop star tells the officers at one point, “These are really difficult tests.”

The footage, which lasts about eight hours, includes Timberlake’s initial stop after Sag Harbor police say he ran a stop sign in the center of town, left his lane and exited his BMW smelling of alcohol that June.

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

via AP

When an officer asks him why he’s in town, Timberlake says, “I’m on a world tour.”

“Doing what?” the officer asks.

“It’s hard to explain,” says Timberlake.

After stuttering a bit, he says, “World tour. I’m Justin Timberlake.”

The officer finally responds, “Are you Justin Timberlake? Do you have a license with you?”

Officers ask Timberlake, who ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, to walk on the road in a straight line with his heel toward his feet and lift one leg. At times he seems nervous when listening to the instructions. He apologizes to the officers and tells them his heart is racing.

“I’m a little nervous,” Timberlake says at one point.

In the back seat of the police car he asks, “Why are you arresting me?”

Back at the police station, Timberlake is informed that he will be held overnight, to which he says, “I’m going to be here all night? You guys are savages, man.”

He asks the officer to keep the cell light on while they close the door.

The release by Sag Harbor police comes after the town and Timberlake’s attorneys agreed to release a redacted version of the footage. The News was one of several media outlets that filed a records request seeking release of the video.

Timberlake’s lawyers had sued to block the release of the video, arguing that it would “devastate” Timberlake’s privacy by revealing “intimate, very personal and sensitive details.” They also said it would cause “serious and irreparable harm” to his reputation by subjecting him to “public ridicule and harassment.”

But in a joint filing with the town on Friday, Timberlake’s attorneys acknowledged that the video “does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under” the state’s public information law and agreed to its release.

Timberlake’s lawyers and representatives did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Friday.

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

via News

“Since the beginning of this matter, following Mr. Timberlake’s arrest, the Village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Act,” the statement read. “As 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.”

Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in September 2024.

The Tennessee native agreed to give a public safety announcement about the dangers of drunk driving as part of the plea deal that reduced his initial misdemeanor charge to a non-criminal traffic violation.

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

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Hill reported from Albany.

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