Jon Bon Jovi’s Daughter Stephanie Arrested on Drug Charges after Overdose

Stephanie Bongiovi, left, with parents

Today was a rough one for the family of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, as his daughter possibly overdosed on heroin in her dorm at Hamilton College, but then was arrested by police for drug possession after it was clear she was okay.

Stephanie Bongiovi, 19, was unresponsive when she was found in her room at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Police found heroin and marijuana in her room during a search.

Another student, Ian S. Grant, 21, was also in the room with Bongiovi and he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (heroin).

Bongiovi was taken to a local medical facility, according to the town of Kirkland Police Department. She was later booked on misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance (heroin), marijuana possession and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Both Bongiovi and Grant have since been released, police said.

They will be scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

Representatives of her father had no comment.

While Hamilton College declined to comment on the arrests or the condition of Bongiovi, the school did say in a statement that it is cooperating with the police investigation.

“On Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, members of the Kirkland Police Department arrested two Hamilton College students. One was charged with possession of a controlled substance, 7th degree, and the second was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, 7th degree and possession of drug paraphernalia,” the statement said. “All are misdemeanors. In addition to violating state law, the actions alleged to have been committed by the students violate Hamilton College policy. The college is cooperating with the police investigation.”

Bongiovi is the oldest of four children, and only daughter, of the rock star and his wife, Dorothea Hurley. Since it was formed in 1983, the band Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million albums worldwide, making it one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time.

 

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top