The Associated Press reported March 21 that Sag Harbor Police released video footage from a 2024 traffic stop involving Justin Timberlake, in which he appeared to struggle with field sobriety tests officers said were part of their assessment for suspected drunken driving.
According to the video released Friday, officers stopped Timberlake in New York’s Hamptons after Sag Harbor police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane, and that he got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol, the AP said. The footage spans about eight hours and includes the initial stop and subsequent questioning and processing, with officers directing Timberlake through tasks such as walking and balancing tests.
In the video, Timberlake tells officers that the sobriety tests are “really hard tests.” He also says he had consumed one martini and told officers he was following friends home in the village area, which is among the affluent beach towns of the Hamptons about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.
The footage shows an officer asking Timberlake why he is in town, after which Timberlake says, “I’m on a world tour.” When the officer asks for clarification, Timberlake responds that the situation is “Hard to explain,” and later says, “World tour. I’m Justin Timberlake,” according to the AP report and video transcript.
Later in the encounter, officers ask Timberlake to perform additional physical tests including walking heel-to-toe in a straight line on the road and lifting one leg. At times, he appeared flustered while listening to instructions, apologized to officers, and told them his heart was racing, the AP said, adding that Timberlake also said, “I’m a little nervous.”
The video also captures Timberlake asking officers why he is being arrested while he is in the back seat of a police car. The AP report says that after he was brought back to the police station, he was told he would be held overnight and responded, “I’m going to be here all night? You guys are wild, man,” then asked an officer to keep the light on as he was locked in a cell.
Sag Harbor Police said the release came after an agreement between the village and Timberlake’s lawyers to disclose a redacted version of the footage. The AP reported that several media outlets, including the Associated Press, sought the video through public records requests before the agreement was reached.
In a lawsuit described in the AP story, Timberlake’s lawyers argued that releasing the video would “devastate” his privacy by revealing “intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details,” and 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 Friday, Timberlake’s lawyers acknowledged the video “does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under” New York’s public information law and agreed to its release, the AP said.
A statement provided by the village’s lawyer, Vincent Toomey, said the village was trying to comply with New York’s Freedom of Information Law, and that the video and other records are reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.
Timberlake pleaded guilty in September 2024 to impaired driving. The AP report said his plea deal included giving a public safety announcement about the dangers of drunken driving, reducing his initial misdemeanor charge to a noncriminal traffic violation, along with a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a 90-day suspension of his driver’s license.