‘These are like really hard tests’: Watch police footage of Justin Timberlake’s drink-driving arrest

New York: Justin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after he was pulled over in New York’s Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to newly released video footage.

The pop star tells officers at one point, “these are like really hard tests”.

The footage, which runs for roughly eight hours, includes Timberlake’s initial stop after Sag Harbour police said he ran a stop sign in the village centre, 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 160 kilometres east of New York City.

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

“Doing what?” the officer asks.

“Hard to explain,” Timberlake says.

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

The officer eventually responds: “You are Justin Timberlake? Do you have a licence with you?”

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 apologises to 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 wild, man.”

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

The release on Friday (New York time) by Sag Harbour Police comes after the village and Timberlake’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 had sued to block the release of the video, arguing that it would “devastate” Timberlake’s privacy by revealing “intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details”. They also said it would cause “severe and irreparable harm” to his reputation by subjecting him to “public ridicule and harassment”.

But in a joint filing with the village on Friday, Timberlake’s lawyers acknowledged 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 didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Friday.

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

“From the beginning of this matter, after Mr Timberlake’s arrest, the village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the freedom of information law,” the statement reads. “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 impaired driving in September 2024.

The Tennessee native agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part of the plea deal that knocked down his initial misdemeanour charge to a non-criminal traffic violation.

He was also sentenced to a $US500 ($710) fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his licence.

AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.