Jon Bon Jovi has made headlines around the world. On Tuesday night, 10 September 2024, Jon was on Seigenthaler Bridge, Nashville, while a film crew set up to film him. Jon noticed a distressed woman hanging onto the guardrail on the ledge over the Cumberland River. Security camera footage showed Jon and a woman – identified by AP News as a film production assistant – reacting exemplarily. They calmly approached the woman. Jon leaned on the rail unthreateningly, a little distance away.
The woman seemed to recognize Jon, who chatted and gave a little wave. The production assistant then engaged the distressed woman and hugged her. Jon moved closer and the caring pair helped the woman over the rail. Jon embraced the woman and escorted her off the bridge.
Music Man readers might know that Jon Bon Jovi is the MusiCares Person of the Year for 2024. On Seigenthaler Bridge, Jon confirmed that he is a worthy recipient. This video shows Jon’s MusiCares acceptance speech in February.
In announcing Jon Bon Jovi as their Person of the Year, MusiCares noted the Bon Jovi frontman’s decades of support for the Special Olympics, American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity, before singling out the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation for special mention. MusiCares noted that the “Soul Foundation provides pragmatic ways out of homelessness, poverty, and hunger … via programs that provide food, affordable housing, social services, job training, and other forms of assistance.”
Bon Jovi’s new album (Forever, 2024) is the band’s first after Jon had surgery on his vocal cords in 2022. Jon Bon Jovi has said his voice has fully recovered, but it is too early for full shows. Reviewing Forever, Carla Feric of The Independent reassured music fans that Jon’s “powerful vocals have not faltered”. The latest video from the album, The People’s House, was uploaded on 30 August. It could not be more appropriate in the context of Jon’s act of humanity on Seigenthaler Bridge.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department shared security camera footage of the incident on Seigenthaler Bridge. The Nashville PD statement noted that Jon Bon Jovi “helped persuade [a woman] to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety.” Police Chief John Drake commented, “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe.” NPR reports that Nashville PD footage was subsequently removed by YouTube – although not before it featured on television news programs and social media posts.
Consider how the incident would be portrayed if the intervention had been unsuccessful. Jon and the production assistant didn’t hesitate to worry about their reputations. Crucially, they did not rush at the woman and invade her space. They acted with consideration and kindness. Good on you, Jon Bon Jovi, and good on the unnamed production assistant! The following BBC News report shows an edited version of the event. Please remember that should you be in emotional distress or worried about a friend, there are hotlines you can call. The UK numbers are listed here (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/help-for-suicidal-thoughts/).
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