Music legend Billy Joel was spotted having lunch at The American Hotel, where Justin Timberlake also enjoyed dinner with friends ahead of his DWI arrest on Monday night.
The popular American Hotel is also known as the eatery where the Piano Man enjoyed a dinner more than 20 years ago, after which Joel smashed his car into a tree on a Sag Harbor road.
At the time of his infamous crash, Joel was believed to have a problem with alcohol, but was never charged with a DUI, despite several crashes in the Hamptons.
At the time, the New York Post reported that sources at The American Hotel said Joel had downed several glasses of wine at dinner before leaving in his vehicle.
His publicist, however, denied that report vehemently, saying: ‘I’m sure his other dinner companions were drinking, but he was not. He abstained.’
The music icon was spotted Tuesday having lunch at The American Hotel, where Justin Timberlake had dined before his arrest
Joel (circled), infamously slammed his sedan into a tree following a dinner at The American Hotel back in 2003 – he checked himself into rehab not long after the accident
Unlike with Timberlake, at the time of Joel’s crash Sag Harbor cops were accused of being too lenient on the beloved Long Island native.
At lunch on Tuesday, Joel spoke briefly to nearby reporters about Timberlake’s arrest.
‘Judge not lest ye be judged,’ the hitmaker said before hopping on his light green Vespa and scooting away.
In the very early hours of Tuesday morning, Timberlake – who is currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour – was arrested after being pulled over for blowing through a stop sign.
Officers said in their report that they witnessed the pop star veering across the road before they intervened, and described finding him ‘in an intoxicated condition.’
Police described Timberlake as having ‘bloodshot and glassy’ eyes, smelling strongly of alcohol, having slowed speech and unable to maintain his attention.
The father-of-two was also said to have been unsteady om his feet and ‘performed poorly’ on a field sobriety test, which he ultimately failed. After being arrested and taken to a local police station, he also refused to take a breathalyzer test.
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 after being released without bail.
For refusing the breathalyzer test, Timberlake had his driving privileges in the state of New York suspended.
The singer, second from right in black cap, told the press to ‘Judge not lest ye be judged’ when it comes to the Timberlake arrest
The singer has two upcoming shows in Chicago later this week followed by back-to-back nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City next week.
A source told DailyMail.com: ‘Justin was out to dinner with friends and there were cop cars stationed outside the restaurant, like they are most nights.
‘They look for people who are leaving after midnight who might have been drinking.
‘Justin left at 12:30AM and was pulled over as soon as he left. Nobody was hurt and there was no drama at the scene.’
The performer, who is often referred to as the ‘Prince of Pop,’ is married to actress Jessica Biel, with whom he tied the knot in 2012.
The scene of Billy Joel’s January 2003 crash, when he slammed a sedan into a tree following a dinner at The American Hotel
Timberlake was spotted being walked across the bridge from Sag Harbor police headquarters to the villages Justice Court while in handcuffs Tuesday morning
Timberlake is currently on the road across America with the with the first leg of his tour, which concludes July 9 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
He has a break for a few weeks before getting back on the road in late July when the European leg kicks off in Krakow, Poland on July 29.
Shows in Germany, Belgium, England, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and France will account for the second leg of the tour.
The global performance jaunt is in support of his sixth solo album Everything I Thought It Was, which was released in March.
It was his first solo album in six years, following his 2018 album Man of the Woods.
Read the full article here