Rock star Jon Bon Jovi was praised by police in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday after playing a crucial role in helping a woman in distress on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. Video released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department showed Bon Jovi and his entourage were intervening to offer aid as the woman was seen standing on the ledge of the bridge, precariously positioning herself over the Cumberland River.
The 62-year-old singer, long in the limelight as the frontman of Bon Jovi, was said to have been filming a music video in the area when all this went down. In the police-shared video, the woman is clad in blue, holding onto the railing as she stands on the ledge. While several people walked by, oblivious to her angst, Bon Jovi and his crew had been setting up equipment for the shoot nearby.
Bon Jovi had spotted the woman in danger and calmly strolled up to her, followed by someone else as well. He greeted her from a distance, waving hello and leaning casually on the railing-a sign of greeting to put someone at ease. Having watched her for a moment, Bon Jovi and another woman carefully walked her back onto the walkway and away from the edge.
With the woman in safety, other people hopped onto the bridge as well. The singer welcomed her into an assuring hug, a personal point of contact and comfort since the incident occurred. Soon after, police footage shows Bon Jovi walking away from the bridge with her, ensuring she was no longer in any danger.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department saluted the singer’s actions on social media, posting the following: “A shout out to Jon Bon Jovi and his crew for aiding a female on the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge [on] Tuesday evening. Bon Jovi helped talk her into coming off ledge over the Cumberland River into safety.”
Nashville’s police chief, John Drake, also praised the rock star for his intervention, underlining that the community needs to be involved in looking after one another. “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,” he briefly told the Chief, noting how the effort of everyone contributed to averting tragedy.