'This is going to ruin the tour': New details emerge of Justin Timberlake drink-driving arrest

A police officer who pulled Justin Timberlake over before his arrest for alleged drink-driving did not recognise the star, according to a US media report.

Timberlake had been in Long Island, in New York state, reportedly having dinner with friends before his arrest in the early hours of Tuesday.

Sag Harbor police chief Robert Drake said the 43-year-old star failed to stop at a stop sign and could not stay in his lane while driving a 2025 BMW at 12.37am. Court documents stated his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy”.

Page Six, the New York Post’s celebrity and entertainment site, cites a source who told them the officer who pulled Timberlake over “was so young that he didn’t even know” who he was.

“He didn’t recognise him or his name,” the source reportedly said.

According to their reporting, a second source told them that during the arrest, Timberlake said “under his breath – ‘This is going to ruin the tour’.”

Timberlake, who rose to fame with boyband NSYNC before finding huge success as a solo artist with hits including Like I Love You, Cry Me A River, SexyBack and Mirrors, is scheduled to appear in Chicago for two dates this week before further shows across the US, Canada and Europe between June and December.

Following charges filed against the star, he is due to appear in court on 26 July – the same date as a show scheduled in Krakow, Poland.

The dates are currently still listed on his website.

According to court documents filed about the star’s arrest in Sag Harbor, a coastal village in the Hamptons, there was “a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage… emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests”.

Timberlake also told officers he had one martini and was following some friends home, and refused to take a breath test.

He was then taken to a police station in nearby East Hampton, and was seen leaving on Tuesday morning.

Earlier this year, Timberlake released his sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was, his first solo music in six years. He also reunited with his NSYNC bandmates to perform in a live show.

As well as his pop career, the star has also had success as an actor, starring in films including Friends With Benefits, The Social Network, Bad Teacher and In Time.

He is married to actress Jessica Biel and the couple have two sons.

Sky News has contacted representatives for Timberlake for comment.