Ohio Kidnap Victim Amanda Berry Appears On Stage With Nelly [Video]

Ohio kidnap victim Amanda Berry continues her recovery after a decade in captivity, and made her first official public appearance yesterday in her home stage — on stage with rapper Nelly.

When Amanda Berry disappeared, Nelly was topping the charts with hits like “Ride Wit Me” and “Hot In Herre,” and the now 27-year-old was able to not only attend RoverFest after her rescue a few months back — but was also called onto the stage by the hip hop star.

It’s pretty uplifting to see Amanda Berry enjoying freedom from the captivity she never deserved in the first place, having a good time at Voinovich Park at the festival.

Attendee Kayleigh Fladung told the Plain Dealer that Berry was thrilled when Nelly introduced her to the crowd, and recalls:

“He said, ‘Everyone, here’s Amanda Berry,’ and she came out with a friend, another young woman… She didn’t say anything, but she was smiling and happy.”

Fladung continues:

“She waved to the crowd, everyone went crazy cheering, and she went backstage. Nelly did his set, 4 or 5 songs, and then he brought her out again and everyone cheered… It was cool to see but still very surprising.”

The Nelly shout out caps off a week of good news for Berry and her co-captives Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, as the three — who have been through an incredible ordeal and survived — learned that they wouldn’t have to endure the additional trauma of a trial for kidnapper Ariel Castro.

Earlier this week, Castro accepted a plea to avoid the death penalty — thus sparing the women from being exposed to the possibility of a long court battle. The New York Daily News reports:

“Ariel Castro pleaded guilty Friday to imprisoning Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight and subjecting them to rapes and beating for a decade. The women disappeared between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20. They escaped in May.”

Watch above as Amanda Berry joins Nelly on stage at RoverFest.