FL - Jared Bridegan, 33, father of 4, ambushed & killed, Jacksonville Beach, 16 Feb 2022 *3 arrests, 1 guilty*

[LayzeeDayzee]

"Their world stopped on the night of Feb. 16. Jared Bridegan had just dropped off his older two children at their mother’s house in Jacksonville Beach when he stopped on a wooded stretch of Sanctuary Way near J. Turner Butler Boulevard on his way home. Police believe he was trying to move a tire that was in the road. Detectives believe that tire may have been part of the setup for his slaying."

‘His kids deserve to know’: Widow of father of 4 killed in Jacksonville Beach pleads for answers

 

[PayrollNerd]

I wonder if the shooter was hiding and not seen at first. If the tire was the decoy, and it didn’t look like anyone was around, I can understand why he stopped. But how did the shooter get there and then leave? Did they have an accomplice?

Snip:
Young noted it was close-range and cold-blooded.

“He was right at the driver’s door and we believe that the shooter was less than four feet, three feet from him,” Young said. “It was specific, [Jared Bridegan] used this route all the time. Whoever [killed him] knew the route.”

‘His kids deserve to know’: Widow of father of 4 killed in Jacksonville Beach pleads for answers

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

In this article there is mention of a Blue Ford F-150. This is also interesting as well:

"On the night of the murder, sources close to First Coast News said a tire found in the road was believed to have been what made Bridegan get out of his car. Those same sources said the tire was not in the road just shortly before the incident, according to witnesses."

JBPD relying on tips to find suspect who killed father | firstcoastnews.com

I wonder if any issues with his ex wife/mother if his 2 bio children he had dropped off. Sounds like someone really knew his route, was waiting for him thus the tire appears just shortly before he approaches that stretch of the road.

Other info in MSM articles states he worked for Microsoft as some kind of IT/Software dude.....I'd have to look more into what exactly he did there?

 

[Cryptic]

I wonder if any issues with his ex wife/mother if his 2 bio children he had dropped off. Sounds like someone really knew his route, was waiting for him thus the tire appears just shortly before he approaches that stretch of the road.

Other info in MSM articles states he worked for Microsoft as some kind of IT/Software dude.....I'd have to look more into what exactly he did there?

Domestic issues would seem statistically more likely.

But..... wow, an actual Microsoft Microsoft employee (as opposed to somebody who uses or gives training on Microsoft products? My impression is that they take only the best for high pay, high pressure positions. Room for jealousy or perhaps retribution if he was a supervisor with termination ability.

 

[realanastasia]

Domestic issues would seem statistically more likely.

But..... wow, an actual Microsoft Microsoft employee (as opposed to somebody who uses or gives training on Microsoft products? My impression is that they take only the best for high pay, high pressure positions. Room for jealousy or perhaps retribution if he was a supervisor with termination ability.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/jared-bridegan-obituary?id=33299058

Here’s his obit, which states “He served as Senior UX Designer at Canopy, Director of UX at Web.com, Chief Technology Officer at Clean Simple Eats, and was currently a Senior Design Manager at Microsoft.”

Also, the reference to him dropping off two of his kids to their mother’s house in the initial article is confusing, as (per the obit) it sounds like he and his wife were still married and were the parents of all 4 kids. Maybe they were separated or lived separately for some other reason?

 

[scriabina]

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/jared-bridegan-obituary?id=33299058

Here’s his obit, which states “He served as Senior UX Designer at Canopy, Director of UX at Web.com, Chief Technology Officer at Clean Simple Eats, and was currently a Senior Design Manager at Microsoft.”

Also, the reference to him dropping off two of his kids to their mother’s house in the initial article is confusing, as (per the obit) it sounds like he and his wife were still married and were the parents of all 4 kids. Maybe they were separated or lived separately for some other reason?

The article states he had twin 9-yr-olds with his first wife. He remarried and had a 2-yr-old and a 7-month old with his 2nd wife. He dropped off their twins at her house just before he was murdered. Someone knew about the custody schedule and drop-off time & location. I agree with comments above that statistically this is most likely a domestic issue linked in some way to his 1st marriage.

From the obit, it's clear he was a member of the LDS church (Mormon). Divorce is less common amongst Mormons. I wonder if there was a lot of strife and angst involved that the divorce. If he had 9-yr-old twins, it means he was only about 23 when he became a 1st time dad, so must have gotten married very young to the first wife considering the Church doesn't believe in premarital sex.

I have a very strong feeling this all will point to someone very close to home. I hope the killer(s) & conspirator(s) are arrested very soon. I feel so bad for that little 2-yr-old who must have been terrified as she witnessed her father's murder. I wonder if she could help them ID the killer somehow.

 

[scriabina]

Videos and pictures of a truck of interest to the case

 

[worm]

I agree with the thoughtful posts above and hope there is video nearby that can narrow this down. I haven’t seen the area yet so I’m just guessing.

 

[Cryptic]

From the obit, it's clear he was a member of the LDS church (Mormon). Divorce is less common amongst Mormons. I wonder if there was a lot of strife and angst involved that the divorce.

The secularization of society has hit the Mormons to the same degree as it has every other religious group- hard, and getting harder.

Over the years, I have known three divorced Mormons, including one who had temple status (I am not familiar with Mormonism, but I believe that status shows extra devotion).

Though there are undoubtably Mormon families, as with some say, Catholic families where a divorce causes more shame stress etc than average, my suspicion is that divorce is no longer a "show stopper" amongst Mormons.

Even still, there is plenty of room for anger in divorces, whether they are between mormons or atheists.

And... somebody knew not only his exact schedule, but also knew that he was likely to stop and move the tire from the road- instead of just driving around it.

I can see an angry say, ex Miscrosofter waiting outside his home or his work. But, the combination of knowing his visitation schedule and knowing that he is likely to remove road debris suggests somebody, well, closer.

 

[worm]

I must admit that I’m a bit anxious with this even tho it’s recent and I really don’t have good cause to feel that way.

 

[scriabina]

The secularization of society has hit the Mormons to the same degree as it has every other religious group- hard, and getting harder.

Over the years, I have known three divorced Mormons, including one who had temple status (I am not familiar with Mormonism, but I believe that status shows extra devotion).

Though there are undoubtably Mormon families, as with some say, Catholic families where a divorce causes more shame stress etc than average, my suspicion is that divorce is no longer a "show stopper" amongst Mormons.

Even still, there is plenty of room for anger in divorces, whether they are between mormons or atheists.

And... somebody knew not only his exact schedule, but also knew that he was likely to stop and move the tire from the road- instead of just driving around it.

I can see an angry say, ex Miscrosofter waiting outside his home or his work. But, the combination of knowing his visitation schedule and knowing that he is likely to remove road debris suggests somebody, well, closer.

Yes, I was trying to sort of profile the victim with the limited bits of info we have in hopes it might spur on some discussion or ideas about the case. I'm surprised this case is getting so little attention.

 

[scriabina]

Public divorce records show that Jared was divorced Aug 16 2018.
From there a person can find other interesting information that is unfortunately beyond the scope of this forum.

[Snipped by me to adhere to TOS.]

 

[worm]

I can’t believe there hasn’t been an update. Well, I follow the Murtaugh case so I guess I can believe it.

 

[worm]

I wonder if somebody handled that tire, can they pull DNA from it? Tires are somewhat porous and they have a little weight for someone to carry. Not really heavy but if there’s a rim it would take a little effort.

 

[scriabina]

I wonder if somebody handled that tire, can they pull DNA from it? Tires are somewhat porous and they have a little weight for someone to carry. Not really heavy but if there’s a rim it would take a little effort.

Good point! I also wonder where the tire came from, and could they track its origins somehow? Did someone just find that tire on the street and push it over there, or was it purchased specifically for this "activity"?

 

[worm]

Good point! I also wonder where the tire came from, and could they track its origins somehow? Did someone just find that tire on the street and push it over there, or was it purchased specifically for this "activity"?

They could probably find out what type of car it went to by size, brand, tread, etc. I’m not sure on condition and it could have been grabbed behind a shop somewhere. I’m wondering with that material, if it could hold evidence from a person or their clothes.

 

[Cryptic]

Yes, I was trying to sort of profile the victim with the limited bits of info we have in hopes it might spur on some discussion or ideas about the case.

Public divorce records show that Jared was divorced Aug 16 2018.

It looks like the divorce was 3.5 years ago, time for initial tempers to cool off.

The fact that the victim had remarried and had a rewarding, demanding career would probably reduce post divorce disputes from his side. Both of these elements are good incentives to move on.

I wonder if his former wife had equal incentives to move on?

Or, could she be more likely to make additional demands, become jealous, or be just plain bored and prone to start, for lack of a better term, "screwing with the ex" via frivolous complaints etc. ?

 

[StephanieH]

Not relevant, necessarily but the names of his kids are definitely split. <modsnip>
I agree that whoever killed him knew him. Beyond that, I don't think his ex would be involved, because even if she was greedy, he was young and worth more alive than dead. Plus, his ex would not likely have life insurance on him. The kids might have been beneficiaries, though, which would indirectly make her a beneficiary.

 

[Vaccine]

A very wholesome FB account though it doesn't go far back (even though he joined in 2008).

Log into Facebook

 

[scriabina]

I agree that whoever killed him knew him. Beyond that, I don't think his ex would be involved, because even if she was greedy, he was young and worth more alive than dead. Plus, his ex would not likely have life insurance on him. The kids might have been beneficiaries, though, which would indirectly make her a beneficiary.

There are other reasons to want a person dead beyond the financial...