Bruce Springsteen turns down offer for New Jersey rest stop named after him

29 July 2021

Bruce Springsteen has turned down an offer to have a New Jersey rest stop named after him.

Bruce Springsteen

The 'Born To Run' legend was approached by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to have his name on a rest stop alongside the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, James Gandolfini, Whitney Houston and Frank Sinatra.

However, Natasha Alagarasan of the New Jersey Hall of Fame told NorthJersey.com: "Bruce Springsteen respectfully declined to have a service area named after him.

"It should be noted, though, that Bruce has been very supportive of the New Jersey Hall of Fame over the years, and is very much a part of the fabric of the Hall."

Authors Judy Blume and Toni Morrison, broadcast journalist Connie Chung, and singer Celia Cruz have also been selected.

The service areas will each contain Hard Rock Cafe-style artifacts and exhibits, as well as a Wall of Fame.

The interactive piece will feature a life size video monitor showing Hall of Fame inductees and their respective acceptance speeches.

Springsteen himself was inducted in 2007.

As reported by Billboard, Governor Phil Murphy wants to showcase local heroes across New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Bruce - whose career spans five decades and 20 studio albums - recently opened up on the moment he was arrested in November at Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey, and received a ticket for driving while intoxicated (DWI), for reckless driving and for drinking in an area where boozing is banned and he's now addressed the incident for the first time.

Speaking during his 'Springsteen on Broadway' show in New York on Saturday (26.06.21), he quipped: "I was handcuffed and thrown in jail — that took some doing.

“It wasn't easy. I didn't wake up one morning, get on my motorcycle and say, 'I think I'll drive to jail.' ”

And the NJ icon - who was fined $500 and ordered to pay $40 in court fees after agreeing a plea deal and admitting to consuming alcohol in a closed area in return for the other charges being dropped - joked about the way cases are listed in the US.

He added: “My case was the United States of America vs. Bruce Springsteen. That's always comforting to hear — the entire nation is aligned against you.”