ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Authorities are looking to identify a person caught on camera at the home of a St. Johns County father days after he was killed in Jacksonville Beach.
Kirsten Bridegan said investigators don’t know if this is related to the murder of her husband, Jared Bridegan.
“Like that timing is just odd,” the widow told News4JAX on Tuesday. “And we’ve been here for over two years, and nothing of this sort has ever happened before. So that’s what put me on edge is the timing.”
Kirsten Bridegan shared the security footage with News4JAX of who she believes is a suspicious person on her property. The video shows a bright, blurry figure moving quickly from the corner of the garage, across the yard and away from the house. (Press play below to watch a loop of the video clip)
“It’s so blurry, you can’t catch much,” Kirsten Bridegan said.
The video was recorded at her St. Johns County home around 7:15 p.m. Feb. 24 -- just a week after her husband was shot to death in Jacksonville Beach.
“I was very concerned. It was so soon after Jared had been murdered and someone was at our home. It was not OK,” Kirsten Bridegan said.
She said she called 911 right away and messaged some of her neighbors.
“And one of my amazing neighbors, ex-military, came, and he and his dog and I went through the yard, checking to make sure no one was still there,” she recounted.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office responded, but there are no leads as to who or what it was. In the video, a neighbor is pulling out around the same time while another person was on the sidewalk. This could have spooked whoever was on the property.
Kirsten Bridegan said the footage is disconcerting and left her family shaken, and deputies have since picked up patrols, watching over the home.
News4JAX checked with someone who analyzes footage to see if it was possibly lens flare, but he says it appears to be a person in the surveillance video.
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Meanwhile, Jacksonville Beach police are still looking for a 2004-2008 blue Ford F-150, which they think may be connected to Jared Bridegan’s murder.
Police say a tire left in the road prompted Jared Bridegan to stop on Feb. 16 and is a key piece of the puzzle.
The 33-year-old father of four was shot multiple times on Sanctuary Boulevard near J. Turner Butler Boulevard just two miles from his ex-wife’s home.
His 2-year-old daughter was in the SUV when he was shot, but she wasn’t hurt.
Police say it was a targeted attack. So far, no arrests have been made.
Family and friends held a vigil last week, begging for someone to come forward. Jared Bridegan’s widow is holding onto hope for a break in the case.
“I have an odd sense of justice is coming -- doesn’t mean I’m not going to stop fighting for it because I think that’s important. I think it’s important that everyone keeps fighting for it, especially in this community where it happened, but I feel like it’s coming,” Kirsten Bridegan said.
If you have any information at all, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477). You can remain anonymous.
A private donor helped raise Crime Stoppers reward to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever killed Bridegan. That’s in addition to another $5,000 from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, making tipsters eligible for $30,000 in reward money.