Juror excused from duty for the day to meet Springsteen
FREEHOLD -- With New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen right in their own backyard on Tuesday, officials at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold let one fan off the hook for jury duty to she could meet The Boss in person.
As luck would have it, Kelli Furlong Wilson's jury number was called the same day she had a coveted ticket for the Barnes & Noble meet-and-greet with Springsteen, whose autobiography "Born to Run" was released on Tuesday.
Distraught at having to choose between her favorite rocker and her civic duty, Wilson, a regulator for the securities industry, on Monday night consulted a friend who is a judge. The judge, who wasn't asked and didn't offer to pull any strings for Wilson, suggested Wilson write a letter, attach it to a copy of her event ticket and be ready to show it to a jury official if needed.
At first, Wilson said, she thought she'd at least have time to purchase her signed book and head to the courthouse just a few miles away in Freehold, where Springsteen grew up. But after being in line outside the store for about a half hour with 50 to 75 other fans, Wilson calculated at 7:35 a.m. that she wouldn't have time even for that because the line wasn't moving.
So with her letter in hand, Wilson, who was one day into her service of three days or the duration of a trial, headed to the courthouse and pleaded her case.
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"I kept hoping 'please make this moment of greatness happen for me,'" said Wilson, a resident of the Wannamassa section of Ocean Township.
A jury official agreed to excuse Wilson for the day - which won't count toward her juror service. Wilson said she has to return on Wednesday and complete her service.
"I floated out of the courthouse," Wilson, a 45-year-old married mother of two said.
She was back at Barnes & Noble by about 8:15 a.m. - even got her original parking space - and got back in line.
Three hours later, she was posing for her picture with Springsteen, who had arrived 90 minutes earlier than his scheduled noon appearance to hang with his fans.
"I'm really in a state of disbelief, shock and awe, kind of catatonic," Wilson said hours after her encounter. "I don't remember much. I know he touched me - there's a picture. It's like time and space stood still for me."
Springsteen has often been spotted publically around Monmouth County, but even with all those Bruce sightings, Wilson, who estimates she's been to at least 30 of his shows over the years, said she's never gotten a chance to meet him despite living in the area all her life.
"Big thanks to the Monmouth County courthouse for excusing me from jury duty today so that I could realize the dream and meet Bruce!" she wrote in her Facebook post.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.