Microsoft Exec Shot In Front of His Toddler, Suspect Still At Large

The friends and family of Jared Bridegan are still baffled by the loss of their friend, a Microsoft executive and 33-year old father of four.

According to them, he was a caring and very helpful person, who definitely didn’t deserve to die in the way he did.

So it came as no surprise to anyone that when Jared spotted a discarded car wheel lying in the middle of the road while driving through a Jacksonville, Florida, neighborhood on Feb. 16, he stopped his SUV to investigate.

Bridegan had just dropped his 10-year-old twins at his ex-wife’s home, and with his 2-year-old daughter Bexley buckled into her car seat, he ventured into the street.

It was that spot on the street, that police found Bridegan sprawled in the road, a few minutes later after arriving on the scene. he had been shot multiple times at close range.

Police believe the tire was planted on the road so Jared would stop.

In the past seven months, the horrific shock and mystery still remain. Who shot and killed Bridegan? Why would a killer target the tech professional, who was best known for being a loving father and husband?

“He wasn’t the type of person to have enemies,” Jared’s widow, Kirsten Bridegan said. “At first I thought it was random, and I was wracking my brain to figure out who would want him dead.”

The troubling case is still currently being investigated by authorities. “We have yet to rule anyone out as a suspect,” a source for the police department stated.

Sgt. Tonya Tator, with the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, has confidence an arrest will be made.

“There’s a good chance, a good, good chance,” Tator said during a sit-down interview. “Maybe not now, maybe not next week, but I feel confident that eventually, we will find the person or persons responsible for this.”

Tator has been involved with the case since the night Jared Bridegan was killed. Good Samaritans took his toddler daughter Bexley from the back seat, and she reunited with her mother at the police station. Tator was there with them.

“You’re looking at someone that just found out their entire life was turned upside, down, and there’s not anything you can do for them but be right there and assure them we will do everything in our power to find out who is responsible,” Tator said.

Police have no doubt that Bridegan’s murder was premeditated and planned. Detectives suspect someone set up Jared Bridegan, who had just dropped his two older children off at their mother’s home in Jacksonville Beach and was returning home to St. Johns County on the night of the deadly shooting. 

According to detectives, Bridegan driving along a dark stretch in between the Sanctuary neighborhood and J. Turner Butler Boulevard, when he stopped because of a tire in the road, and as he stepped out, someone ambushed him and shot him multiple times. Detectives believe the tire was likely planted in the road.

“That’s what evidence is leading us to believe,” Tator said.

Investigators processed the tire, sent bullet casings to a ballistics lab and are looking for a 2004 to 2008 blue Ford F-150 pickup truck seen in the area around 8 p.m., when the shooting happened.

“All I can say is there is a lot of forensic evidence we’re going through. I can’t get specific,” Tator said. “We’re looking at every piece of evidence.”

Shortly after the shooting, local media picked up on the contentious custody battle between Bridegan and his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez. Both Bridegan and Gardner-Fernandez filed several motions in court regarding the dispute.

Soon after, Gardner-Fernandez and her new husband hired a criminal defense attorney, even though they had not been named as suspects or persons of interests in Bridegan’s death.

A family spokesperson said, “The attorney was retained to limit the publication of the children’s photos.”

As the investigation continues, those who knew Bridegan are desperate for answers. Authorities say that they’re following up on every tip they get.

“We are looking at everything,” an investigator said. “There’s a monster out there, and we will find out who did this.”

There’s now a $55,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the killing. First Coast Crime Stoppers is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Much of that money was raised privately by the Bridegan family. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, is offering an additional $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477). Tipsters may remain anonymous. To submit a tip to ATF, call 1-888-ATF-TIPS (283-8477).