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Bodycam video of Justin Timberlake’s 2024 arrest in Sag Harbor, New York, was released on Friday – after the singer made redactions as part of a settlement in his privacy dispute against the local police authority.
Timberlake, 45, was pulled over, subjected to a series of sobriety tests and ultimately charged with driving under the influence, a misdemeanor. He later pleaded guilty to a less serious offense: driving while impaired, a misdemeanor (infraction).
The footage was published online on Friday by the Sag Harbor Express, a local media outlet that requested its release under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). The application was submitted by the parent company The Express News Group.
Roadside sobriety tests
In the video, Timberlake is already standing next to his BMW SUV on the side of the road as an officer conducts the sobriety tests. “Guys, I’m just following my friends back to my house,” he says, his pronunciation slow and apparently slurred. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just following my friends back to my house.”
The officers ask him to take nine steps, heel-to-toe, along a straight line. He struggles to follow instructions and steps off the line. „Sorry, ich bin ein bisschen nervös“, sagt er, bevor er mehr Schritte macht als verlangt. An officer is seen taking notes.
Timberlake is also apparently having trouble with another test that requires him to lift one foot six inches off the ground and count out loud. “Sorry, my heart is racing,” he says. “These are really, really difficult tests.” Shortly afterwards he is handcuffed and arrested.
Data protection lawsuit and preliminary injunction
On March 2, Timberlake filed a motion to block the release of the footage, citing privacy concerns. A judge then issued a temporary restraining order.
“The footage in question depicts the applicant in an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement and captures intimate details of his physical appearance, posture, speech and behavior during the field sobriety tests, subsequent arrest, and his detention over the following several hours,” said the application, obtained by ROLLING STONE. “The public distribution of this footage would cause serious and irreparable harm to the applicant’s personal and professional reputation.”
The judge’s order banning the publication was lifted Friday after Timberlake and Sag Harbor authorities reached an agreement over the redactions. In the settlement filed with the court, Timberlake’s lawyers said the edited footage “does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy.”
Police reports confirmed
The video largely matches what law enforcement officials said following the arrest, which occurred around 12:37 a.m. on June 18, 2024. Officials said he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Madison Street and Jermain Avenue in Sag Harbor and failed to keep the vehicle on the right side of the road for several blocks.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol, he was unable to divide his attention, his speech was slowed, he was unsteady on his feet, and performed poorly on all standardized sobriety tests,” prosecutors wrote in a court brief based on affidavits from Sag Harbor Police Officer Michael D. Arkinson.
“Since the beginning of this matter, following Timberlake’s arrest, the Village has attempted to comply with Freedom of Information Law requirements,” Vincent Toomey, attorney for the Village of Sag Harbor, said in a statement Friday. “As with any case involving files or video footage from our Police Department, this material will be reviewed and redacted to address public safety, officer safety, and privacy concerns. We are pleased that this matter has now been resolved and the Village can meet its legal obligation to release the material required to be disclosed under FOIL.”
