The Driver - Michael Eric Hager

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Earthbound Misfit I

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I didn't see a thread for the driver (Michael Eric Hager) of the van in the forum. Mods, if there is one, please delete this one. If you feel we don't need this one, again, please delete it.

What do we know about the driver? We have heard he was a Grateful Dead Fan. Do we know if he had attended any Grateful Dead Concerts? If so, when and where? Is it possible he might have met "Jason" at another concert?

Is it possible Michael may have told Jason that if he hadn't caught a ride after the DC GD concert he could give him a ride or told Jason he would be coming back from NY around that day and if Jason wanted to hook up that Jason should start hitchhiking and that he (Michael) would be in Fairfax (to take his girlfriend home) and then he would be continuing onto his mother's place (after making a stop at his father's place in Gloucester) in Inman, SC where he had a summer job. Is it possible that Michael told Jason about work in Inman, SC and Jason decided to go along with him there?

Did LE go through Michael's belongings and look at phone numbers and interview his family about whether Michael had been to any GD concerts?

Could Jason left any of his belongings at Michael's father's place and they were just mistaken as belonging to Michaels'?

Sorry for rambling....
 
One of my guesses would be if Michael Hager had been to a Grateful Dead concert it possibly would have been in Charlotte, NC in March of 1995.
 
They also could had met at a GD concert in Chapel Hill, NC. There was one there in 1993 and there was supposed to be one there in March of 1994 but it was canceled.

Cancellation Disappoints Students

Of course, this is only speculation on my part that Michael & Jason may have met previously.
 
We know that Michael's parents did not know the unidentified person.
 
My parents didn't know a lot of my friends at that age.

I want to know, "Did Michael know "Jason" prior to June 26, 1995?" Had they met at another GD concert? Anywhere else along the way? How did "Jason" get to the concert? Is it possible Michael was his ride there?

We know that Michael & his girlfriend went to NY to see his girlfriend's family, but, exactly when did he leave for New York? Could he have brought Jason to DC say on the 23rd or even earlier on the 24th and then picked up his girlfriend and left for NY or ?? We know Michael and his girlfriend came back from NY on the 26th.

Just trying to fill in the blanks...

We know that Michael's parents did not know the unidentified person.
 
I always for whatever reason felt that the drive met up with our UID male at one of the DC shows and he agreed to give him a ride. It isn't that uncommon to find a ride with someone at these types of concerts.
 
I agree, or I can see perhaps Michael & Jason being in contact somehow ?? before the show and Michael tells Jason that he is going to be heading in that direction, for example, to Fairfax to pick up his girlfriend to head to NY and Michael gives Jason a ride that far (to Fairfax) and Jason either hooks up with someone the rest of the way for a ride, or starts thumbing the rest of the way or something along those lines?


I always for whatever reason felt that the drive met up with our UID male at one of the DC shows and he agreed to give him a ride. It isn't that uncommon to find a ride with someone at these types of concerts.
 
What would be the most likely route for Jason Doe to be walking/hitching a ride? We are fairly certain he was picked up by Michael Eric Hager between Fairfax, VA & Gloucester, VA. Would he most likely be walking the major freeway route or stand at a on ramp to freeway entrance?

It would have taken Jason Doe approximately a half an hour to get from DC by car under normal conditions (only these weren't normal conditions because of the Grateful Dead Shows) or approximately 5 1/2 hours to walk to Fairfax, Virginia.
 
I got off track on one of the threads about the tickets found with Jason and got to talking about the driver and the route he may have travelled, etc. So, for now I am cross-linking the threads so that I know there is chatter about the driver and his travels on the tickets thread also. Hopefully a mod will come along and move them for us :)
Tickets Thread + Chatter about Route he may have taken
 
We know that the accident occured just west of Emporia on US 58, was this on the US58W exit?
 
I'm not very good with maps so forgive me if I am off on this, but, is this a possibility, let's say that the driver didn't pick Jason up until after he went to his father's house. I know I have read it both ways, the neighbor thought he had seen someone with Michael that day, but, I also read that Michael's father said that when Michael called him after he left his house (I believe it was after he left the house??) Michael didn't mention anyone was with him.

So, for now, I am going to say that when Michael went to his father's home Jason was not with him. Michael then leaves his father's home he gets back on I-64 and then jumps on I-295 with every intention of getting onto I-85..

Now, this is where I get lost, is it possible that Jason could have been hitching a ride and could have been standing on the side of I-295 that runs over into I-95 heading west or it goes over from I-295 into I-95 which turns into I-85 (am I making any sense?? LOL).

So, I guess what I am asking is could it the possible reason Michael took I-95 heading west be because that is the point he picked Jason up? Then Michael takes I-95 down into Emporia and gets onto US58 with the intent of taking it over to get onto I-85 and then going down into South Carolina from there.
 
I want to correct myself here. I do not believe that Dr. H G H (mentioned on the GD tickets thread) is Michael Eric Hager's (Driver of van) father. I believe he is his grandfather or uncle. This may through another loop in the whole map problem even further, if that's possible! Back to the drawing board.
 
Does anyone happen to know exactly what day Michael and his girlfriend went to NY to visit her family? We know that they returned to Fairfax, VA on the 25th. Did they drive to NY? What part of NY did her family live in? There was a Grateful Dead Concert in Albany, NY on June 22nd, did they happen to catch that show, I wonder?

ETA: Added link to show Grateful Dead Schedule that shows show in Albany, NY on June 22, 1995 http://www.dead.net/show/june-22-1995[/SIZE]
 
Thinking out loud here again, is it possible that the driver, Michael Eric Hager, had been to a Grateful Dead concert during the 1995 summer tour and bought the tshirt himself, the one that Jason was wearing? It is possible that Jason's clothing were so dirty and crusty, yucky and such from not changing for a few days that when Michael and Jason stopped at Michael's dad's home, Jason showered (perhaps that explains the hair dye being "smeared"/"smudged")Michael gave Jason a change of clothing and Jason just threw out the old ones in the trash. I really would like to know what Michael's physical description was.
 
RKownley,

You are correct, Dr. H G H is not Eric's father. His father is Michael Robert Hager. Also, fyi, Michael Eric Hager was born 4/18/1974 in Catawba County, NC
 
Thank you NCSleuth, I also have this that verifies Michael's family.

ETA: Added link:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WVMgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U88EAAAAIBAJ&dq=eric hager&pg=1584,2833811

hager_m_eric_card_of_thanks.jpg
 
Just fyi,
The David Griffith mentioned in the card of thanks above passed way 1/28/2007. At that time, he was married to Eric's mother. Sounds like he was a very good musician. Looks like the family is really into music, guess that explains why he picked up our hitchhiker.
 
Thank you for that information NCSleuth. RIP David.

Just fyi,
The David Griffith mentioned in the card of thanks above passed way 1/28/2007. At that time, he was married to Eric's mother. Sounds like he was a very good musician. Looks like the family is really into music, guess that explains why he picked up our hitchhiker.
 
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