Bronx man crashes through gate of East Hampton mansion of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, police say
The gate outside the home of musicians Jay-Z and Beyoncé in East Hampton, New York on Sunday. Credit: Thomas Hengge
A Bronx man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after authorities said he crashed his sport utility vehicle last week through the front gate of an East Hampton mansion owned by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
The incident occurred just before 1 p.m. Wednesday at the entrance to Pond House, the Beyoncé-Jay-Z estate in the ultraexclusive Georgica Pond section.
According to records provided Monday by East Hampton Town Justice Court, the alleged gate-crasher, identified as Keith Jonathan Webster, 63, drove a 2024 Subaru through the reinforced gate, then was held by members of the on-site security team before being arrested by East Hampton Village Police.
Police did not immediately respond to calls seeking information on the incident Monday.
Webster was arraigned Thursday before Justice Steven Tekulsky in East Hampton Town Justice Court, charged with second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal trespass. Court records show Webster entered a not guilty plea, and is due back in court on July 29.
Records also show that a temporary restraining order was issued, barring Webster from any contact with Beyoncé, Jay-Z or their property.
Webster was represented by Legal Aid for arraignment. It was not immediately clear if he is represented by counsel.
According to a witness statement provided by a security guard at the property and filed with East Hampton Village Police as part of the court records, surveillance cameras spotted the green sport utility vehicle "approaching the gate traveling at a high rate of speed" at about 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
The statement said the SUV crashed through the gate — then continued to drive onto the property.
Two security guards approached the vehicle once it had stopped, giving "verbal commands" to the driver. "He exited the vehicle without any issue," the security guard's statement read, "and we placed him on the ground. We cuffed the subject and kept him on the ground until police arrived."
Police have not detailed any potential motive for the incident.
The Georgica Pond section features homes owned by a Who's Who of celebrities, among them, according to a recent article in Social Life Magazine, Steven Spielberg, Calvin Klein, Martha Stewart, business titan Ronald Perelman and film and fashion icon Tom Ford, who owns Lasata, the childhood summer home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Records show the estate owned by Beyoncé and Jay-Z was purchased for $26 million in 2017.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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