Why do celebrities keep getting arrested in the Hamptons?

From Billy Joel’s fishing protest to Martha Stewart’s driving dispute, the Hamptons have seen their fair share of legal troubles among the elite.

Justin Timberlake is not the first celebrity to get arrested in the Hamptons. The beach communities on the eastern end of New York’s Long Island are popular with the rich and famous, and others have got into trouble there, much of it vehicular. Here are a few examples:

Billy Joel

Singer Billy Joel and Long Island commercial fishermen from the East Hampton Baymen’s Association were charged with catching striped bass illegally during a July 1992 protest against fishing regulations. The charges were later dismissed. The plight of fishermen whose livelihood is threatened by regulations inspired Joel’s song The Downeaster ‘Alexa.’

Then in January 2003 Joel swerved off the road and crashed his Mercedes into a tree in Sag Harbor. Joel was hospitalised; he was not arrested.

Martha Stewart

A landscaper working for real estate mogul Harry Macklowe accused TV personality and homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart of intentionally backing her car into him in May 1997 amid a feud between Macklowe and Stewart, East Hampton neighbours. The Suffolk County district attorney’s office investigated but decided not to bring charges against Stewart. “Not every event which adversely affects a person’s life deserves to be litigated in criminal court,” then-District Attorney James Catterson said.

‘P.R. Princess’ Lizzie Grubman

Lizzie Grubman, a publicist to the stars whose clients included Britney Spears and Jay-Z, was asked by a security guard in Southampton to move her Mercedes out of a fire lane on July 7, 2001. Grubman responded by backing the vehicle into a crowd, injuring 16 people. Grubman was charged with crimes including second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated and reckless endangerment. She faced a prison sentence of up to eight years but served only 38 days in jail and five years probation after reaching a plea deal.

Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd, the basketball Hall of Famer and coach whose Dallas Mavericks lost the NBA finals to the Boston Celtics on Monday, slammed his Cadillac Escalade into a light pole in Southampton in July 2012. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour DWI charge and was placed on probation. In exchange for the guilty plea, Kidd agreed to speak to Long Island high school students about the dangers of drunken driving. The crash came toward the end of Kidd’s playing career with the NBA.

Brian France

Former NASCAR CEO Brian France was arrested in Sag Harbor for driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone in August 2018 after police said he was seen driving his Lexus through a stop sign. France pleaded guilty to DWI and was required to perform 100 hours of community service and undergo alcohol counselling.