Particle.news

Driver Crashes Through Gates at Beyoncé and Jay‑Z’s East Hampton Estate

Authorities have charged a 63-year-old man and are treating the case as a crime as they probe whether a medical or mental‑health issue explains his apparent confusion.

Overview

  • A man drove his car at high speed up the driveway and smashed through the estate’s mechanical front gates on Wednesday, July 15, causing significant damage and prompting an on-scene arrest.
  • Police identified the driver as 63-year-old Keith Jonathan Webster of the Bronx and charged him with second‑degree criminal mischief (a felony) and third‑degree criminal trespass (a misdemeanor).
  • Officers said no weapons, notes, threats or direct references to the homeowners were found, and a nearby resident told police the man had earlier stopped at another house asking for a woman by name and appeared confused.
  • Webster was taken to Stony Brook Hospital after the crash, his vehicle was impounded, and at arraignment a judge issued a stay‑away order and ordered a mental‑health evaluation.
  • Investigators continue to treat the incident as a criminal matter while probing health-related explanations, and representatives for Beyoncé and Jay‑Z have not commented and it remains unclear whether the couple were home.