Jon Bon Jovi, the American rock star, has been praised by police in Nashville, Tennessee for helping talk a woman down from a bridge in the city.

The singer was on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in the city centre with a team of people for what appeared to be a video or photo shoot when they spotted a woman in distress. 

Footage of the incident was shared on social media by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, which praised the singer and his team for their intervention.

“A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge” on Tuesday night, said Nashville’s police chief John Drake.

“Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety.

“It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,” he added.

The security footage shows several passersby walking apparently oblivious as the woman stood on the ledge.

It showed what appears to be the rock star and an entourage arriving on the bridge with a tripod and spotting the woman.

Jovi and a female member of his team promptly walked over to her and waved hello, before leaning on the railing nearby.

They engage her in conversation before one of the pair gets closer and reaches for her forearm. Jovi, 62, then walks over to her other side to help pull her to safety.

The singer then gives her a hug and stands with her for a few minutes before they leave the bridge together.

It is unclear what the rock star was doing in Nashville, but sources with direct knowledge of the incident told the entertainment site TMZ that Bon Jovi routinely assists people in crisis through his foundation, the JBJ Soul Foundation.

The source described him as having extensive training in how to speak to people experiencing a crisis.