Justin Timberlake arrest twist: Police ‘tipped off about his ingesting’
New details have surfaced about Justin Timberlake‘s arrest Tuesday in New York’s Hamptons.
Reports alleged the singer was warned not to drive by the same police officer who wound up arresting him, and that police might have been tipped off to the singer getting behind the wheel.
Timberlake, 43, was pulled over after he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane while behind the wheel of his 2025 BMW X7 around 12:30 a.m. of June 18 in Sag Harbor after a night out with friends.
A source told Page Six Saturday that Timberlake ‘was stopped and advised not to drive’ in his condition by Sag Harbor police officer Michael Arkinson, 23.
‘The officer didn’t recognize him; he’s a young guy,’ the source said. ‘And he still gave Justin a break, because he didn’t pose an immediate danger.’
New details have surfaced about Justin Timberlake’s arrest Tuesday in New York’s Hamptons, with reports alleging the singer was warned not to drive by the same police officer who wound up arresting him. The singer, 43, pictured in his mug shot
Sag Harbor police officer Michael Arkinson, 23, held open the door for Timberlake, who was pictured in handcuffs at one point
The police officer believed that ‘that was the end of it’ and that Timberlake ‘would get a ride home’ before seeing Timberlake again behind the wheel ‘several minutes later,’ a source told the outlet.
The source added of Timberlake: ‘What a dumba**: I am thinking he could afford a driver. How’s that for entitlement?’
Timberlake, who has been on tour since April, was arrested when the officer stopped him and determined he was intoxicated, according to a court document reviewed by the AP.
Another Page Six report published Sunday indicated that police were flagged that the singer, who rose to fame as the lead member of 90s boyband NSYNC before launching a successful solo career in the noughties, was going to drive after seeing him consuming alcohol at the American Hotel.
The paper quoted a source described as a ‘well-connected Southampton restaurateur,’ who said that a person at the hotel contacted authorities after seeing Timberlake drinking.
The reporting party ‘said Justin was having a lot of drinks, and they told the cop to watch him if he is going to drive,’ the restaurateur told Page Six.
The restaurateur told the outlet they believe Timberlake had been ‘mistreated’ and was ‘definitely treated unfairly’ in the unfolding series of events that led to him being taken into custody.
Dailymail.com has reached out to reps for Timberlake for comment on both items.
Timberlake has always been ‘a gentleman’ while out in the Hamptons, the restaurateur said, citing his kindness to fans.
Timberlake ‘was stopped and advised not to drive’ in his condition by Sag Harbor police officer Michael Arkinson, 23 (pictured)
Sag Harbor police might have been tipped off to the singer getting behind the wheel, according to a new report
The pop star seen on his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour (pictured in April)
‘People always recognize him, and they ask him for a picture, and he always says yes,’ the restaurateur said. ‘He has the hat pulled down and the sunglasses, so it’s hard to recognize him, but some people do.’
The restaurateur told the outlet that Timberlake is far friendlier than fellow A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio in the way he interacts with people outside of his circle.
‘Leo does not like to be recognized, and he will even curse. He does not take pictures, especially if he is with a bunch of models,’ the restaurateur said.
Timberlake is slated to play back-to-back nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City this week.
Timberlake, who has been on tour since April, was driving a 2025 BMW in Sag Harbor around 12:30 a.m. when the officer stopped him and determined he was intoxicated, according to a court document reviewed by the AP.
‘His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,’ the court papers said.
Sobriety tests include being asked to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line and turn and retrace the steps or stand on one leg.
Timberlake told the officer he had ‘one martini and was following some friends home’.
The police officer ‘was so young that he didn’t even know’ who Timberlake was’ and ‘didn’t recognize him or his name,’ a source told Page Six on Tuesday
Justin’s wife Jessica, meanwhile, was spotted out in public on Tuesday for the first time after her husband’s arrest. The actress, 42, filmed scenes for her Amazon series The Better Sister
The same day that her husband was released on bail, Jessica was seen as she continued filming her Apple series. She wore a costume that she had been pictured in while filming last week
After being arrested and taken to a police station in nearby East Hampton, he refused a breath test.
Court papers listed his occupation as ‘professional’ and said he’s ‘self-employed.’
Timberlake was released from the Hamptons police station in handcuffs and was without bond later on Tuesday morning after being arraigned in Sag Harbor.
The hitmaker appeared shell-shocked and looked straight ahead as he was led out by officers.
After a brief arraignment where he was banned from driving for a year in New York, he was released without bail, emerging from court wearing a baseball cap.
Timberlake was arraigned on one count of DWI, as well as running a stop sign and failing to stay in his lane. He is next in court on July 26.
Timberlake had been drinking with friends at The American Hotel bar in the Hamptons town.
One witness claimed to The New York Post the singer had been ‘wasted’ before his DWI bust and was even seen drinking someone else’s drink from another table.
According to reports, the officer had ‘no idea’ who Timberlake was. The singer was huge in the 90s as the lead vocalist for boyband NSYNC (pictured far right in 1997)
Timberlake launched further to fame during the noughties as he launched his solo career and spawned the hit Cry Me A River about his relationship with Britney Spears
The unknown person told the outlet: ‘He was wasted. At one point, just before closing, somebody got up to go to the bathroom and left his drink on the table.
‘When [the man] came back, [Timberlake] was drinking his drink. The guy goes, “Justin, that’s my drink!.”‘
After reports emerged Timberlake had told officers at the scene he had ‘just one martini’ before ‘following his friends home,’ it opened the floodgates for dozens of memes to be created.
Fans made jokes about the size of the martini glass and his famous dance moves came back to haunt him after he failed the field sobriety test.
One wrote: ‘Why does Justin Timberlake look so hungover if he only had ONE martini? The martini…,’ alongside a gif of a giant martini glass being carried over to a table.
Others uploaded memes of bartenders generously pouring alcohol into a cocktail glass.
They wrote alongside it: ‘The bartender that made Justin Timberlake’s one martini’ and ‘Actual footage of the bartender, making Justin Timberlake’s one martini.’
Another fan compared him to Eddie Redmayne’s Cabaret performance at the Tony Awards and wrote: ‘Justin Timberlake claiming he had one martini.’
After reports emerged Justin had told officers at the scene he had ‘just one martini’ before ‘following his friends home,’ it opened the floodgates for dozens of memes to be created
A squad car sat parked outside the Sag Harbor Police Headquarters on Tuesday in the wake of the musical artist’s arrest
Sag Harbor is nestled amid the Hamptons, around 100 miles east of New York City
Timberlake’s wife Jessica Biel meanwhile, was spotted out in public on Tuesday for the first time after her husband’s arrest.
The actress, 42, was pictured as she filmed scenes for her upcoming Amazon series The Better Sister in New York City.
Biel looked tense and muted while standing around on set between takes.
She stars in the series with Elizabeth Banks, and the series is based on the 2019 novel by Alafair Burke.
They play two sisters who are brought together by tragedy after one of their husbands is murdered.
The set wasn’t far from Sag Harbor, the village in the Hamptons.
Sag Harbor, a one-time whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby-Dick, is nestled amid the Hamptons, around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.
The Hamptons have long been a hot spot for the rich and famous, and various stars and otherwise prominent people have had brushes with the law there.
