Bruce Springsteen performs onstage during the 13th annual Stand Up for Heroes to benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 04, 2019 in New York City.
Mike Coppola |Getty Images
Working-class rock legend Bruce Springsteen was arrested late last year at a New Jersey national park for drunk driving, the Department of the Interior revealed Wednesday.
The news emerged just days after rocker appeared in a car commercial during the Super Bowl.
Springsteen, 71, was “cooperative throughout the process” of being arrested Nov. 14 at Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area, locally known as Sandy Hook, noted the statement from National Parks Service spokeswoman Brenda Ling.
The “Thunder Road” singer was cited for driving under the influence, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area.
Last November, Springsteen’s new album “Letter to You” debuted at No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 chart. With that placement, Springsteen became the first musician to have a new top five-charting album in each of the last six decades.
News of Springsteen’s arrest comes just days after the musician starred in his very first Super Bowl commercial. The Jeep ad featured Springsteen calling for Americans to find unity after a divisive year.
“There’s hope on the road up ahead,” Springsteen said in the two-minute spot, which featured numerous shots of him driving a Jeep CJ-5 across country and city roads.
Spokespeople for Springsteen and Jeep did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment about his arrest.
In Springsteen’s autobiography “Born to Run,” which was published in 2016, the musician admitted that he avoided drugs and didn’t try alcohol until he was 22, in part because of how drinking had affected his father.
In the 500-page book, Springsteen revealed that he had a long history of depression, a surprise to many.
Springsteen has been lauded by his fans and bandmates for his healthy living habits, such as hitting the gym and avoiding drugs and alcohol, which they credit for giving him the stamina to perform hourslong concerts decades into his career.
“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,” Steven Van Zandt, a musician in Springsteen’s famous E Street Band, said in a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone.
Springsteen’s arrest was first reported by TMZ earlier Wednesday.
