Jon Bon Jovi has opened up about an incident last month where he talked a woman back over the railing of a bridge in Nashville, preventing a potential tragedy.
The incident occurred when the band was filming a music video for their song ‘People’s House.’
The frontman noticed the woman standing at the edge of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge – on the wrong side of the railing.
Along with another person from his team, Jon managed to engage the woman in conversation, convincing her to step back from the ledge. His calm intervention resulted in her being brought safely over the railing, and he stayed with her until emergency services arrived.
“We’d all do the same thing,” he told Stephen Colbert in a recent chat, before noting that mental health is a very “real” issue.
“This lady, she was completely coherent, had all of her wits,” he recalled. “She had said to me, ‘Look at me. I’m in paper scrubs with no shoes, no phone, no money, nowhere to go. They let me walk out of the hospital.’ … She said, ‘I am not suicidal or homicidal.”
When Colbert pointed out that she was clearly still in danger, Bon Jovi agreed, saying: “Obviously on the wrong side of the rail – in a situation.”
“I spoke with her, and then the wonderful police department, fire and emergency rescue came – and a therapist came and talked to her,” he added.
“But that’s all: I was just there.”
At the time, Nashville Police Chief John Drake commended the singer’s actions, saying, “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe.”
Bon Jovi has training in speaking with individuals experiencing a crisis through his JBJ Soul Foundation.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
