JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Using a tragic experience to help others in heartbreaking situations, family and friends of a father of four killed in Jacksonville Beach are placing toy boxes at police departments so kids have something to do when they’re at the station.
The Bexley Boxes are the first of their kind in the area and are getting rave reviews.
They’re named after 3-year-old Bexley Bridegan. She was in the back seat of her father’s SUV in February when someone shot him several times, killing him. Bexley Bridegan, who was 2 at the time, wasn’t hurt. Officers rushed her to the police station after the murder.
Jared Bridegan, 33, had just dropped off his two older children at his ex-wife’s home in Jacksonville Beach, detectives said. He stopped on a dark stretch near the Sanctuary neighborhood because there was a tire blocking the road. That’s when someone ambushed him in what investigators believe was a targeted attack. While the case has garnered national attention, police have not publicly identified a motive or a suspect.
Ten months after witnessing her father’s murder, a talkative Bexley Bridegan opened the large white toy box named after her with a proud smile. The first Bexley Box is in an interview room near the detective division of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
It’s filled with her favorite things, which she showed one by one to News4JAX.
“A police car, a dinosaur, puzzles, snacks,” she said. “And these are for kids.”
She said she knew she was making other children happy when they visit a police station.
“There are no more toys here, so they have toys to play with,” she explained.
Without knowing the back story, you’d never guess the unimaginable trauma Bexley Bridegan’s been through.
Officers whisked her away from the scene the night her father was killed, entertaining her at the police station until her mother, Jared Bridegan’s wife, Kirsten, could arrive with the couple’s youngest child.
“The officers did the best with what they had on hand but there’s not always the materials that might comfort a child, a variety of diapers, snacks, sippy cups, things that as a mother I wish were available to her,” Kirsten Bridegan said.
Those painful hours at the station inspired Kirsten Bridegan to create the first Bexley Box for Jacksonville Beach police, a kit they could keep for kids in all kinds of situations.
“This idea she came up with is fantastic,” said Sgt. Tonya Tator, a Jacksonville Beach police supervisor called in to help the night of the shooting.
She brought the station’s comfort dog, Jamie, which made a big difference. However, Tator notes, resources were lacking.
“About the most I had was a squishy police car with some crayons and a coloring book and that’s all we had,” she told News4JAX. “And to have teddy bears, puzzles, coloring books, snacks, we were buying stuff out of the vending machine to give her a drink and a snack. To have the box to go to that night would have been terrific.”
Kirsten Bridegan’s gotten a lot of support through her social media pages. Donations of toys poured in from across the country, allowing her to build Bexley Boxes for six police stations from Florida to Texas, more are coming soon. She created registries with Target and Amazon and shared with the Justice For Jared Instagram page’s 24,000 followers.
“It means the world to me,” Kirsten Bridegan said of the support she’s gotten. “Honestly, this has been very therapeutic for myself and Bexley to be able to channel our pain into something beautiful to help others. Jared was very service oriented. He loved kids, doing service for kids, so I know he would be proud of this as well. To bring a little brightness to those that need it.”
The goal is to get a kit like this with every agency in the United States, providing a bright spot for families in dark times. To help raise funds and supplies, she created a nonprofit called the Bridegan Foundation. All proceeds raised will go to building, filling, and delivering more Bexley Boxes, she said. Donations can be made on the website — BrideganFoundation.org — and are tax-deductible.
It helps her stay strong through painful times, raising two young girls without their father.
“Bexley has been a huge part of it,” Kirsten Bridegan said. “She’s a tough little girl and the way she’s overcome what she’s been through has inspired me to be strong too. And this is helping. Just knowing we can help other kids is huge. That’s a huge strength.”
Meanwhile, detectives in Jacksonville Beach note they are still working the case diligently, and they’re optimistic they’ll solve Jared Bridegan’s murder. They said leads continue to come in, but they need more information to solve the case.
They’ve released surveillance video of a blue truck believed to be involved in the homicide. It’s believed to be an older model F-150 pickup.
There’s now a reward of up to $55,000 for information leading to an arrest. $50,000 is available for anyone who sends a tip to First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477). Jared Bridegan’s friends and family raised most of the money for the reward. Click here to visit the Crime Stoppers donation page.
An additional $5,000 is available for whoever provides the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) with information leading to an arrest and conviction.