Bruce Springsteen was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol at a national park in New Jersey last year, authorities said Wednesday.
Springsteen, nicknamed the Boss, was arrested Nov. 14 in Gateway National Recreation Area, also known as Sandy Hook, and charges included driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area, according to National Park Service spokeswoman Brenda Ling.
The arrest was first reported Wednesday by TMZ.
Ling said Springsteen, a well-known New Jersey native, was cooperative throughout the process.
Representatives for the rock legend did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
News of the arrest comes days after the debut of Springsteen’s first Super Bowl commercial. In the two-minute spot for Jeep, Springsteen says the country will again see unity and says “there’s hope on the road up ahead.”
A spokesperson for the Jeep brand said the Super Bowl commercial has been put on pause.
“it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate,” the spokesman said.
“But it’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established,” the Jeep spokesperson said. “Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.”
Fans have long praised Springsteen, 71, for his healthy lifestyle.
In his 2016 autobiography “Born to Run,” Springsteen said he avoided drugs and didn’t try alcohol until he was 22, partially because how he saw how drinking affected his father.
“He’s in good shape by not doing drugs. It’s something he doesn’t have to preach about. He’s a living example of what happens when you never do drugs your whole life,” Springsteen’s E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt told Rolling Stone in 2012, speaking of Springsteen’s stamina on stage.
“I mean, I’m sure he’s taken a drink or two a few times in his life, but he was never a drinker either. And he eats right and he’s in the gym. Well, that’s what happens,” Van Zandt said. “Don’t do drugs. Don’t drink, eat right, go to the gym and you can rock & roll at 62, too.”
