The Wonderful World of Drugs: Jon Bon Jovi's Daughter's Heroin Overdose

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The 19-year-old daughter of legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi overdosed on heroin at her "Little Ivy" upstate New York college Wednesday and was arrested as she recuperated at a hospital, police said.

Stephanie Bongiovi, the only daughter of the glam metal maestro, was found unconscious in the Dunham Hall dorm on the campus of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., shortly before 2 a.m., police said.

Fellow New Jersey native Ian S. Grant, also a Hamilton undergraduate, made the frantic call for help but was later arrested in connection with the frightening incident, cops said.

"She was unresponsive when we arrived," investigator Peter Cania of the Town of Kirkland Police said. "They rushed her to a hospital."

Investigators found heroin at the scene and recovered marijuana and glassine envelopes after obtaining a search warrant, he said.

Bongiovi was arrested at the hospital on charges of misdemeanor possession of the heroin, misdemeanor marijuana possession, criminally using drug paraphernalia and a violation related to the marijuana, Cania said.

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Jon Bon Jovi with his 19-year-old daughter, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi.

"She was issued an appearance ticket at the hospital and released. It constituted an arrest, but she was not handcuffed," he said. "She has yet to be fingerprinted and photographed. She'll do that at court when she returns for arraignment."

A rep for her rock royalty parents declined to comment, but a friend said Bongiovi has been on a destructive path.

"Stephanie has been undergoing a drug problem for quite some time. Friends and family have been worried about her and unsuccessful in getting her to rehab," the friend told the Daily News Wednesday.

"She wasn't listening to anyone. Sometimes her friends wouldn't hear from her for weeks. We were all scared for her but didn't know what to do," the friend said.

Grant, 21, was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.

He was processed at the Kirkland Police Station and released back to Hamilton pending a court appearance at a later date.

The shaggy-haired student is from the same Red Bank/Middletown section of New Jersey as Bongiovi and was an honors student at Middletown High School North, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The geoscience major works as a lab assistant in Hamilton's biology department and hopes to attend law school and "become involved in environmental law," his profile states.

Grant did not respond to a request for comment.

Bon Jovi, 50, is set to perform on a Times Square stage Dec. 5 for a concert benefiting Hamilton's scholarships and arts programs.

"In addition to violating state law, the actions alleged to have been committed by the students violate Hamilton College policy," a college spokesperson said in a written statement.

"The college is cooperating with the police investigation," the statement continued. "Our first concern is always for the safety of our students."

Read more: http://www.nydailyne...6#ixzz2CIt9MMmB

She was lucky to pull through this...playing with fire. As someone who has watched a loved one battle drug addiction, I can tell you that it takes a serious toll on family members who feel helpless and, at times, guilty. I stood in the trenches with my brother, who was near the brink of death when my Mother's terminal illness was the push that got him into rehab...he had a moment of clarity and said "enough, I want to be here for her". He will be accepting his 7 year "clean and sober" cake in the Spring. I'm so proud and happy to have him back.

But, during his drug use he almost put us over the edge....he'd been badly beaten by dealers, had them calling my parent's home (threatening them as well) and my Dad often met them in back alleys to pay off thousands in drug debts. I followed him once (he didn't know), ready to ?...as I sat in the dark parking lot, I wondered that aloud - "what the hell will I do if something awful goes down?". But I was considering my options as I sat there in my car, across the street in a parking lot watching my Father hand over retirement savings to these thugs. He feared that if he didn't, they'd follow through on their promises.

My brother was always a really awesome individual. He was a gifted artist, a really talented baseball pitcher and a super kind, funny guy. He didn't plan on becoming addicted to (crack?...he never would tell me and, to this day, says it doesn't matter what it was). No one could believe what was happening to him, as he changed into someone that pushed friends away and became jumpy, nervous, impatient and loud. It snuck up on us and he was in the full throes of things before we really knew what happened. Ha, we thought he was suffering the after affects of a ruptured appendix that nearly killed him. In hindsight, we've put all the puzzle pieces together to recognize what was happening at the time - we completely missed it in the moment, as he was spiraling downward. Lost his house, wife and his child for a time (they're currently rebuilding that relationship). He's back to hunting and fishing full time, and is a successful foreman of a demolition team. Has bought himself a new truck and is happier than I've ever seen him. But he almost didn't make it and was a far cry from any of this at his lowest point. I remember it well, as he turned on me...something he'd never done.

He always loved a beer with the guys - was easy going and the life of the party. But a moment where he took a hit of something swallowed him up and nearly took him from us. He says it was just like that - one hit and he was "in".

I spent a decade working the front lines of an alcohol and drug abuse center - but even I missed the initial signs, as my brother was good at explanations of what was making him the way he was. We bought it, hook line and sinker and, by the time we realized that it was drug abuse that was changing him, it was too late. Not that family members can do much, as it has to be the decision of the addict to change. What we could have done differently was not enable him, which we did.

If there's a message here, it's make good decisions because a split second one could change your life for ever. Or, even worse, take it from you.

Sorry for the TLDR post, but I feel so strongly about this. And it's a good topic of discussion, as no one is immune.

[G.K. Chesterton]

[Ghostsof1915]

There's nothing wrong with being passionate about something that causes damage to others Deb.

[Riviera82]

I'm glad everything is shaping up for your brother and the rest of your family, Deb. It's quite an accomplishment to overcome such things.

I had a cousin who fell in with a bad crowd and got into the heroin, it ended up taking him to his grave about 12 years ago roughly, so I have a decent idea of what damage that crap can do to people and their families.

I am a little surprised at Bon Jovi's daughter though. I like Bon Jovi's music and I saw an interview on TV with him one time and he spoke of never using drugs in his life at all. It's really something that his daughter would get into that when he, a famous rock star, never did.

[D-Money]

Thanks for sharing, Deb.

Your story was a million times more interesting than the lead-in one.

[VICanucksfan5551]

Thanks for sharing, Deb.

Your story was a million times more interesting than the lead-in one.

[TOMapleLaughs]

I always find it intriguing that 'one hit' would get you 'in' to anything. Because i've tried all sorts of crap and while the first hit was always big, it was never like, 'whoa, i am now hooked on this stuff forever, where's more?', it was more like, 'whoa, that was weird, i'm not sure if it felt good or not, it was definitely a rush, but now i kinda feel like crap.' But i suppose different strokes for different folks. I was never pressured by 'friends' to do it, for starters. I just experimented on my own. Maybe that played a factor.

But the drug scene is an interesting place. A whole dark underworld is everywhere around us, just right under the surface. And it's all related to our basic desires. At least for young men. I think Bill Maher (or was it Dennis Miller or Leary? one of those ex-coconut comedians) said it best when he said, 'If you need the drugs more than you need the sex, then you know know you have a problem.'

My buddy's brother is currently hooked on dope, and is constantly hitting up his family for cash, threatening suicide, getting beat up by dealers, the cops and dealers who are also cops. He fears imminent death, but it's hard to tell if those threats are real or not because the dope makes him paranoid and delusional. You start to see creeping shadows in the dark after awhile, then it gets worse. Bugs under your skin, etc. Those scenes in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? They're not far off. (Bats!) Not to mention the vomiting and the shivering. It really is brutal stuff.

What's funny (not really) is that 'pros' learn the right mix of crack and heroin or methadone to make their negative symptoms minimized. It is true chemical dependency. What's even funnier is that the cops set up shops to keep these people off the street and the goverment hands out free materials as well. Basically so they can just stay out of sight. I'm sure others here on cdc know more about these cop/government details than i do, as my information is 2nd-hand. I think they do it becasue it's easier than to declare an all-out war on drugs, in which Nancy Reagan's version has been lost quite badly, i'm afraid.

I definitely feel for Jon Bon Jovi for the first story. He seems like a relatively clean guy for a rock star. To lose his only daughter is awful. RIP. And i feel for anyone who knows somebody that's hooked on this junk. It is a very trying task to see them get off of it.

'I say God damn the pusher man.' - Steppenwolf.

[goalie13]

To lose his only daughter is awful. RIP.

[drdeath]

Sounds like she was Living On A Prayer for a bit there...

[TOMapleLaughs]

Oh snap, she did. She's extremely lucky then. OD'd usually means death.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Sounds like she was Living On A Prayer for a bit there...

[jatylo]

Glad i never got into the drug scene or even alcohol (only have a beer probably once a month). Its a shame a girl the same age as me almost lost her life due to drugs. I am happy your brother is having a great recovery as it might be one of the hardest things to give up.

[nucklehead]

<p>

I always find it intriguing that 'one hit' would get you 'in' to anything.  Because i've tried all sorts of crap and while the first hit was always big, it was never like, 'whoa, i am now hooked on this stuff forever, where's more?', it was more like, 'whoa, that was weird, i'm not sure if it felt good or not, it was definitely a rush, but now i kinda feel like crap.'  But i suppose different strokes for different folks.  

[aGENT]

Glad i never got into the drug scene or even alcohol (only have a beer probably once a month). Its a shame a girl the same age as me almost lost her life due to drugs. I am happy your brother is having a great recovery as it might be one of the hardest things to give up.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Well, believe it. It's genetic from what I know and it's essentially the way I reacted when I had my first drink. If you are not genetically predisposed to addiction then,yeah, you can't understand. And I will never know what it means to be a social drinker. [clean and sober coming on 19 yrs btw.]The drugs took longer to bring about that response,but not much. Your brain has a defense against addiction but once it is breached all bets are off.

[Buggernut]

I'm glad everything is shaping up for your brother and the rest of your family, Deb. It's quite an accomplishment to overcome such things.

I had a cousin who fell in with a bad crowd and got into the heroin, it ended up taking him to his grave about 12 years ago roughly, so I have a decent idea of what damage that crap can do to people and their families.

I am a little surprised at Bon Jovi's daughter though. I like Bon Jovi's music and I saw an interview on TV with him one time and he spoke of never using drugs in his life at all. It's really something that his daughter would get into that when he, a famous rock star, never did.

[BoggyDepot]

Oh snap, she did. She's extremely lucky then. OD'd usually means death.

[elvis15]

Unfortunately plenty of stories about this from users on this board, and of course all over the world. Looking at the picture from the article I find it hard to believe she's 19, but that could be just the picture or the way she looks versus the effects of a heroin addiction.

My brother was never the intellectual type to find him at a university or college (unless there were some attractive women there he wanted to pick up) but we was incredibly good at mechanics and athletics (he played for the Okanagan Sun and was one of the top motocross racers in the country at one point). He started as a dealer and casual user and spent time in prison in the US as a result, but even the death of his best friend in a gruesome dealer related incident (it was featured on the news showing the police having to wear gas masks go into the house his friend and another dealer frequented because of the smell after his body was chopped up and left to rot) didn't prevent him from escalating in his addiction until he was at the point Deb and others have mentioned here: stealing, abusive behaviour to himself and others, frequent visits from the police, etc. He's been clean for more than several years now and has custody of his kids and a decent job so he was lucky to make it out the other side.

It's just as nucklehead says, if you have that addictive personality it may only take one hit/drink/shot/toke/etc regardless of the actual addictive properties of the drug itself. I'm more like TO in that respect, where I'd tried a few things but never felt compelled to continue - even with simple drugs like alcohol or smoking. My brother is adopted however, and something about his genetic make up causes him to fall into that addictive trap so he has to be incredibly cognisant of that.

[Guest Gumballthechewy]

Heroin is nasty, but not all 'drugs' are bad.

Two of my best friends use to/currently do drugs, one smokes pot, he's doing fine. My other friend moved to Vernon and started selling crack and snorting coke, he did terrible things that I will not repeat here. Eventually he met his current girlfriend who already had a small daughter, he turned his life around for them and is now clean and working a good job (linesman for power company out in Alberta) and is expecting his first son soon.

So in summary;

Pot = not bad.

Heroin, coke, crack = very bad.

[TheAce]

More like she was taking some Bad Medicine.

And here we go...