Sandy Hook DWI/Alcohol Arrests Skyrocketed 163 Percent In 2020

HIGHLANDS, NJ — It appears Bruce Springsteen was caught in an anti-alcohol crackdown at Sandy Hook in 2020, as more than one thousand people were ticketed for having booze in the park, and DWI arrests surged 163 percent.

The number of people caught with alcohol at Sandy Hook soared to 1,203 tickets issued by park rangers in 2020, up dramatically from 565 tickets in 2019 and just six tickets in 2018, according to data provided by the federal park system.

DWI arrests at Sandy Hook also skyrocketed 163 percent last year: There were 79 DWI arrests made in the park in 2020, compared to 30 arrests in 2019.

While the National Park Service declined to comment for this article, it's likely not because more people were drinking and driving in the park, but instead because park rangers dramatically stepped up enforcement.

In 2019 the National Park Service banned all alcohol from being consumed in Sandy Hook. The federal government warned that 2019 would be a "warning" year, and that enforcement would really begin in 2020.

And they meant it: Data shows that park rangers spent the pandemic year aggressively patrolling Sandy Hook for not just drinking and driving, but all manner of alcohol consumption, including people having alcohol in a prohibited area, an open container of alcohol in a car and public intoxication on Sandy Hook beaches and dunes.

According to the National Park Service, in Sandy Hook there were:

DWI/DUI arrests: 79 in 2020, compared to 30 in 2019, 25 in 2018 and just 18 in 2015

All-alcohol related arrests (includes underage possession, public intoxication): 101 in 2020, 68 in 2019 and 40 in 2018

Other arrests where alcohol was a contributing factor: 29 in 2020, 18 in 2019 and 9 in 2018

The following is violations (non arrests but tickets and fines issued):

Having alcohol in a closed area: 1,195 tickets issued in 2020; 563 tickets issued in 2019; 4 tickets issued in 2018 (prior to 2018 you could bring alcohol to most places in the park.)

Open container in a vehicle: 8 in 2020; 2 in 2019; 2 in 2018

Total alcohol tickets written in Sandy Hook: 1,203 in 2020; 565 in 2019 and 6 in 2018.

As Patch reported, Springsteen, a Freehold native, was arrested in November 2020 in Sandy Hook and charged with drunken driving, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. Court documents said Springsteen was arrested by a Sandy Hook park ranger after he consumed a shot of tequila, hopped on his motorcycle and started the engine. The park ranger who arrested him told him alcohol was now prohibited in the park.

Springsteen told the park ranger that he consumed two shots of tequila over the previous 20 minutes and that he was planning to drive out of the park, according to the ranger's statement. "Springsteen smelt strongly of alcohol coming off his person and had glassy eyes," the statement said. Springsteen's blood alcohol reading was .02, which is actually low enough that he would not be considered impaired under New Jersey law.

In February of this year, Springsteen pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of consuming alcohol in a prohibited area. The drunken driving and reckless driving charges were dropped. He had to pay a $500 fine. Read: Bruce Springsteen's Drunken Driving Charge Dropped

Before the 2019, Sandy Hook used to be known as a popular spot to bring a cooler of beer or other alcoholic beverages. That year, the federal park service banned all alcohol from being brought onto beaches, parking lots, park grounds, picnic areas and boating docks.

"Sandy Hook has become a party beach," said Chief Ranger Greg Norman at the time. "People don't come here for a beer, they come here for a six pack."

The NPS listed some of the booze-related mishaps that they said resulted in the ban: A man fell four feet off a loading dock because he thought it was a short cut between the snack area and the bathroom. A motor vehicle accident resulted in all four occupants being injured, two of whom had to be medevaced by helicopter out of the park. Another man passed out drunk in the sand with waves breaking over his head.

Fines start at $50 for the first offense, and then $100 for the second ticket.

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