Jon Bon Jovi Talks Down Distraught Woman on Nashville Bridge Ledge in Harrowing Footage

Jon Bon Jovi helped rescue a woman in crisis on Tuesday on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, Tennessee. Bon Jovi was filming a music video on the scene when he and his team noticed a distraught woman standing on a ledge. The rock legend approached the woman slowly and persuaded her to step back toward safety.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department announced Bon Jovi’s actions in a social media post on Wednesday, and included security footage of the incident. The video has since been removed by YouTube for violating the platform’s community guidelines, but the accounts of Bon Jovi’s heroism are still picking up. The bridge crosses over the Cumberland River, and it was open to the public even as Bon Jovi was filming a music video there. MNPD police chief John Drake said: “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe.”

The incident was reportedly familiar territory for Bon Jovi, who has experience helping people in crisis through his JBJ Soul Foundation. The organization helps people suffering from hunger, homelessness and all the baggage that comes with it, and sources told PEOPLE that Bon Jovi has talked to some of those people firsthand. The organization helps provide affordable housing, food and access to job training programs in coordination with social services.

Bon Jovi is a New Jersey native and frontman of the band that goes by his last name. At 62 years old, his philanthropic work has begun to rival his work as an entertainer. He was named the 2023 MusiCares Person of the Year for the JBJ Soul Foundation’s achievements.

The bridge where this incident took place actually saw a similar incident which is how it got its current name. According to a report by USA Today, legendary Nashville journalist John Seigenthaler physically pulled a distraught man off a ledge on that bridge in the 1950s. The man reportedly said he would never forgive Seigenthaler, but the two reconnected years later and became friends. Siegenthaler went on to run The Tennessean, making a name for himself in political reporting as well as the fight for civil rights. In 2014, the bridge was renamed after him just a few months before his death.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.