Did Bruce Springsteen use his net worth to get out of a DUI charge?
Turns out Bruce Springsteen wasn’t only “Born in the USA”, but charged there too. Back on November 14th, 2020, Springsteen was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, and drinking alcohol in a closed area. The general public didn’t find out about Bruce Springsteen’s charge until February 10th, just three days after he upped his net worth appearing in Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial.
That brings us to February 24th, when Springsteen made his first court appearance relating to the charges. While The Boss pled guilty to consuming alcohol in a closed area, the DUI and reckless driving charges were dropped by prosecutors. Many believe Bruce Springsteen flaunted his net worth to get a lesser charge.
Jersey’s golden boy
Originally from Long Beach, NJ, Bruce Springsteen made a career as one of the most successful rock artists of all time. While his most successful album to date is Born in the USA, it’s far from his only.
Experts estimate the rockstar’s net worth is at least half a billion dollars, if not more. Between his sold-out tours, songs & albums topping the charts, and Springsteen’s upcoming podcast with Obama, it’s no surprise Bruce Springsteen has had a profitable career.
Of course, he never forgot his roots. Bruce Springsteen’s debut album is called Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., paying tribute to his hometown. Since his early days as a rockstar, Springsteen kept a house in Jersey and spent most of his downtime in the state. Even recently, Springsteen collaborated with fellow Asbury Park native Jack Antonoff on the new Bleachers single “Chinatown”.
Not a smart decision
Bruce Springsteen was home in his native NJ when he was arrested for a DUI. Driving around the Gateway National Recreation Area, police discovered the singer. Charged with reckless driving, DUI, and consuming alcohol in a closed area, Springsteen initially refused a breathalyzer test.
According to the Asbury Park Press, Springsteen later cooperated with officials on the breathalyzer test, and had a 0.2 BAC level. In New Jersey, the legal limit for an adult is .8 BAC. Police also state Springsteen was cooperative the entire time.
Jeep comes into the story
While the initial incident occured in November 2020, the incident didn’t make national headlines until February 10th, 2021. Just three days prior, Jeep featured Bruce Springsteen in a Super Bowl commercial, leaving many to wonder how this would affect his net worth.
Nearly immediately after the news broke, Jeep took down the commercial off all social media and YouTube. A Jeep spokesperson also commented on the situation.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate. 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”.
Why were charges dropped?
Finally making a digital appearance in court on February 24th, Bruce Springsteen pled guilty to consuming alcohol in a closed space. However, the two other charges against Springsteen were dropped with little comment. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Baker, Springsteen’s BAC was too low to be worthy of charging a DUI or reckless driving.
However, theorists on Twitter believe Bruce Springsteen used his net worth to score a lesser charge. After pleading guilty to consuming alcohol in a closed space, Springsteen was only hit with a $540 charge. For a man with an estimated net worth of $500 million, that’s not exactly a punishment for Bruce Springsteen.
Some people on Twitter are convinced because Bruce Springsteen is doing a podcast with Obama, police decided to let Springsteen off easy for his DUI charges. However, the only evidence is the proximity of the dates of the two announcements.
