“We all have to do our part to protect each other,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake said of the video in which rocker Jon Bon Jovi helps a woman in distress to get down from a bridge ledge.
Jon Bon Jovi talks woman away from the brink in Nashville
Jon Bon Jovi was shooting a music video in downtown Nashville when he encountered a woman in crisis.
Courtesy of Metro Nashville Police Department
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
A woman standing on the edge of a pedestrian bridge in Nashville, Tennessee, was helped by Jon Bon Jovi, who was filming a music video in the area.
In video of the incident released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, a woman wearing blue clothing can be seen standing on the ledge of the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in downtown Nashville on Tuesday with her arms wrapped around the railing when she is approached by Bon Jovi and a member of his crew walking along the bridge.
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The two stopped next to the woman and began to talk to her, with the woman accompanying Bon Jovi occasionally stroking her back. Moments later, Bon Jovi and his team member helped the woman over the railing and back onto the bridge. The Grammy winner continued to talk to the woman before giving her a big hug and seemingly soothing words.
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Nashville Police Thank Jon Bon Jovi
Although the video has since been removed from YouTube due to a violation of community guidelines, Nashville Police reposted it on Facebook and mentioned the legendary rock star.
“Another shout out to Jon Bon Jovi and his act of kindness in #Nashville since #Youtube removed the video,” the police department wrote in the caption. “In case you missed it, he and his team helped convince a woman to step off the edge of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge over the Cumberland River and get to safety.”
“We all need to do our part to protect each other,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake said on social media.
The bridge is named after legendary Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler, who stopped a man from jumping off the bridge while working as a reporter in the 1950s. The Tennessean is part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.
Bon Jovi in Nashville to shoot the video for “The People’s House”
Bon Jovi was filming a music video for his song “The People’s House” on the bridge, which remained open to the public during filming, when the incident occurred.
Out of respect for the private citizen who was in crisis and needed support, the rock star did not want to comment on the incident.
JBJ Soul Foundation
Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea are founders of the JBJ Soul Foundation, which regularly helps people in times of crisis from hunger to homelessness, and the singer has training in speaking to people in difficult situations. Earlier this year, the singer was named MusiCares Person Of The Year 2024 for his “high-impact philanthropic work” through his foundation.
Founded in 2006, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation is dedicated to breaking the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness. The foundation’s mission is to “recognize and maximize the human potential of those affected by hunger, poverty and homelessness by providing assistance in establishing programs that provide food and affordable housing while supporting social services and job training programs,” according to its website.
The foundation “has helped provide nearly 1,000 affordable and assisted housing units in 12 states for thousands of people, including youth and veterans,” the website says. It also now operates three JBJ Soul Kitchens in New Jersey, where those in need receive “a hot, nutritious meal.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
