Sag Harbor Village released bodycam footage of Justin Timberlake's 2024 arrest on Friday in response to a Freedom of Information request. The decision came only after Timberlake's attorneys obtained a temporary restraining order to stop the release, then a judge lifted the order after the village's attorneys and Timberlake's attorneys agreed on some redactions.
Timberlake initially arrested in June 2024 after police stopped him for weaving out of his lane and failing to obey a stop sign. The arresting officer reported that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and that he performed poorly on a field sobriety test. Timberlake claimed he had one martini and refused to take a Breathalyser test.
The released footage shows Timberlake as extremely polite as the officer shined a flashlight in his face, but when told to walk a straight line, he stumbled a few times. At one point he said, "These are, like, hard tests." He eventually paused and said, "My heart's racing."
Timberlake sued Sag Harbor Village earlier this month to prevent the footage from being released after a judge gave the go-ahead for the bodycam footage to be made public following a settlement between attorneys for Timberlake and the Sag Harbor Village Police Department. On March 2, Timberlake filed a petition seeking to block release of the footage, citing privacy concerns, and a judge granted a temporary restraining order.
In his legal challenge, Timberlake's filing argued the footage depicts him in an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement, capturing intimate details of his physical appearance, demeanor, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and his confinement following arrest over the next several hours. However, in the court settlement, Timberlake agreed that the footage "did not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy".
The case highlights tension between public access to police records and individuals' privacy interests. The village's attorney said "from the beginning of this matter, after Timberlake's arrest, the Village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Law" and that police material is reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.
Timberlake was originally charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, but pleaded guilty a couple of months later to driving while ability impaired, a traffic infraction. He was ordered to pay a 500 dollar fine and perform 25 to 40 hours of community service. Timberlake also agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part of the plea deal.