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Nearly two years after he was pulled over in the Hamptons and hauled off to jail, Justin Timberlake is back in the spotlight — this time courtesy of a body camera.
Footage from the pop star’s June 18, 2024, late-night arrest in Sag Harbor was released Friday following a legal battle in which Timberlake unsuccessfully fought to keep it buried. He and his legal team ultimately agreed to a partially redacted version after a judge found its release did not constitute an invasion of privacy.
Timberlake was arrested shortly after midnight after cops said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his rented BMW smelling of alcohol.
He told the arresting officer he had consumed one martini and was following friends home, according to an arrest report. In the video, he refuses a Breathalyzer test — which under New York law triggered an automatic license suspension and, according to the police body cam footage seemed to trigger his arrest.
Star put through a series of sobriety tests
The roughly 21 minutes of released footage captures a polite but visibly stressed Timberlake navigating a series of field sobriety tests roadside. At one point, as officers put him through the instructions, the “SexyBack” crooner looked at them and said, “These are, like, hard tests.”
During one of sobriety task, as he attempted to walk a straight line and stumbled, he paused, put a hand over his chest and told officers, “My heart’s racing.”
The exchange between Timberlake and police remained cordial throughout, but the scene got more dramatic when a female friend arrived on the scene.
Placed in handcuffs
Moments after Timberlake was placed in handcuffs, the woman, who identified herself to police as “Estee,” said “You’re arresting Justin Timberlake? Stop it.”
She then pleaded with them to let her drive his car and said, begging, “Can you guys please just do me a favor ’cause you loved ‘Bye Bye Bye’ or ‘Sexyback?’ Do me one favor!”
It seemed to work, as the two officers allowed her to briefly speak with the handcuffed Timberlake, who was seated and hunched over in the back seat of a police squad car.
Estee pleaded one more time: “Guys … Let me drive him home.” But the officers weren’t budging and Timberlake spent the night in jail.
Timberlake had gone to court earlier this month to stop the footage from ever seeing the light of day. His legal team argued the video showed him “in an acutely vulnerable state” and that its release “would cause severe and irreparable harm” to his reputation, according to multiple news reports.
Timberlake pleaded guilty in September 2024 to a reduced, noncriminal charge of driving while ability impaired. He was sentenced to a $500 fine, a 90-day license suspension and 25 hours of community service.
As part of the deal, he also recorded a public service announcement outside the Sag Harbor police station.
The rookie officer who pulled him over, Michael Arkinson, was later named Sag Harbor’s Officer of the Year. Arkinson, in the bodycam video, didn’t appear to initially recognize Timberlake, even after the singer told him he was on “a world tour.”
Top: Sag Harbor Police body camera footage still.
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