Rock star Jon Bon Jovi helped talk a woman off the ledge of a bridge in Nashville this week, bringing a new meaning to “Keep the Faith.”
The Metro Nashville Police Department tweeted on Wednesday that Bon Jovi and his team had persuaded the distressed, unidentified woman to come “off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety.”
“It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,” added Police Chief John Drake.
The police also shared a video of the incident, which has since been taken down by YouTube.
But other clips posted by local media and fan accounts help paint a picture of what happened on the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge — a truss bridge offering panoramic views of the Nashville skyline — Tuesday night.
The 62-year-old singer happened to be filming a music video for his song “The People’s House” on the bridge, which remained open to the public, The Tennessean reported. At one point, he noticed a woman in blue standing nearby on the outside ledge of the bridge.
Overhead footage shows Bon Jovi and another woman from his team walking toward the woman, who is facing the water but notices as they approach. Bon Jovi greets her with a single wave, which she returns.
Then he comes to a stop a few feet away and leans over the railing. His team member, whom The Tennessean describes as a production assistant, joins them and the three proceed to talk, though the video does not capture sound.
After about half a minute, the production assistant puts her hand on the woman’s back and helps her turn around so that she’s facing the bridge. After a little more discussion, Bon Jovi and his colleague each grab one of her arms and help hoist her over the railing and back onto the bridge.
She and Bon Jovi then share a few more words and a long hug. The two left the bridge together a few minutes later, NBC News reported.
The Metro Nashville Police Department and the Nashville Fire Department also responded to the scene after getting a call from a witness, according to local TV station WSMV.
Representatives for Bon Jovi have told several media outlets that he will not be commenting on the incident.
Bon Jovi is one of the biggest names in rock, best known as the frontman of the band Bon Jovi but responsible for multiple solo albums, too. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
He’s also a longtime philanthropist and, in 2006, founded the JBJ Soul Foundation, which works “to recognize and maximize the human potential in those affected by hunger, poverty and homelessness by offering assistance in establishing programs that provide food and affordable housing while supporting social services and job training programs.”
Many social media observers are hailing Bon Jovi as a “hero” and a “saint” for his response Tuesday. Some point out it’s not a one-off — he went viral in 2021, for example, for washing dishes at one of his community restaurants in his home state of New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It just so happens that the bridge where this all played out was renamed in 2014 after John Seigenthaler, a prominent Tennessee journalist who saved a suicidal man’s life on that very structure while reporting for The Tennessean in the 1950s.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
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