Jeep pulls Bruce Springsteen commercial after report of DWI arrest
Bruce Springsteen faces charges after he was arrested for drunken driving in his home state last year, ABC News has learned.
The 71-year-old rock legend was arrested in the Gateway National Recreation Area along the New Jersey coast on Nov. 14, 2020, according to a spokesperson for the National Park Service.
Springsteen received three citations for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. He "was cooperative throughout the process," the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
No further details were immediately available.
Alcohol is prohibited throughout the sprawling, 27,000-acre park, except in designated areas or by permit, according to the National Park Service's website.
Springsteen, a native of Freehold, New Jersey, lives with his family on a 400-acre horse farm in Colts Neck, about 18 miles from the park where he was arrested. He is expected to make a virtual court appearance later this month.
ABC News has reached out to Springsteen's representatives for comment.
News of the arrest was first reported by TMZ on Wednesday, three days after the "Born in the U.S.A." singer-songwriter appeared in his first commercial ever.
The two-minute advertisement by Jeep, titled "The Middle," ran during the Super Bowl on Sunday. The usually commercial-shy Springsteen is seen behind the wheel of a 1980 Jeep CJ-5 in Kansas, while calling for national unity and urging Americans to find common ground.
The auto brand, which is owned by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), announced Wednesday that it would "pause" the Springsteen commercial, after removing it from its official social media pages.
"It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate," a Jeep brand spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. "But it’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned."
Last month, Springsteen kicked off a star-studded concert celebrating the inauguration of President Joe Biden, singing his song "Land of Hope and Dreams" in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
ABC News' Vera Drymon contributed to this report.
