I wonder if investigators asked the gas station if they had cctv footage of that day to see if Jason ended up there or passed by there.
NE NE - Jason Jolkowski -19 - Omaha - 13 Jun 2001 - #4
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This is interesting, I think. What if the camera didn't catch him, after all? Did it cover all angles that JJ could of passed? The idea of him disappearing 5 minutes after he left his house (ie. in his neighborhood) is indeed strange. Moreso when 20 something years have passed and nothing has been made of it.
I have a feeling they didn't. Especially after ten days, and on the assumption he didn't reach the school. But whether or not this supposed witness who posted on another forum saw JJ or not, it opens up the idea of Jason getting as far as the school and beyond, which is something that I never really thought about before. It is possible he bypassed school security cameras, as I notice the driveway leading to the school entrance can be viewed from the sidewalk (via google maps). Also, in reference to the usual route Jason walked when he attended Benson High, I believe his family had noted the route he took but I can't really recall. Maybe someone else can let us know which was his favoured route.
D
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The possibility that JJ went to and/or walked past that particular gas station is one I've heard before on other sites. I have read alleged accounts from people who claimed that they saw him in that specific vicinity on that day & that they remembered him due to his appearance/Chicago Cubs shirt/work shirt (that he was apparently carrying), etc.
And, if this did actually happen & he then made his way back to the H.S....after either using the restroom at the gas station and/or buying a drink to cool off, etc...I guess it's possible that he vanished somewhere along the way. But:
1) I don't think he would have made a side-trip to the gas station unless it was an emergency (i.e., if he really needed to use the restroom). Remember, his co-worker was waiting for him at the h.s. & if he took too long to get there, she would leave - which he knew. Again, I find the possibility of him making any unnecessary side-trips unlikely.
2) I suspect that (given the proximity of the gas station) this is possibly/probably?! a much busier area than JJ's neighborhood was. So, I would think that the possibility that no one saw him get into a car/house on the way is slimmer - than if it happened closer to his home.
3) Re: the possibility that he encountered a nefarious person/persons in the proximity of that tunnel & that his vanishing is connected to this - I find this unlikely. I.e., if a deranged person/persons attacked/assaulted him due to a perceived slight - or a criminal assaulted him in the process of trying to rob him - then where is he?! No body was ever found. The attacker(s) would have needed to quickly get him into a vehicle & leave the area. Sure, it could have happened this way.
4) However - without hard proof that he actually did walk to that gas station & was there @ that time and on that day (i.e., video footage), this is just anecdotal/speculative. I.e., we all know that eyewitness accounts can be notoriously unreliable.
My prevailing theory is that he either went into a house or got into a car (with the car possibility being the most likely) on his way to the school, and that it probably happened within 5-10 minutes of his starting on his walk....i.e., while he was still in his general neighborhood.
And, if this did actually happen & he then made his way back to the H.S....after either using the restroom at the gas station and/or buying a drink to cool off, etc...I guess it's possible that he vanished somewhere along the way. But:
1) I don't think he would have made a side-trip to the gas station unless it was an emergency (i.e., if he really needed to use the restroom). Remember, his co-worker was waiting for him at the h.s. & if he took too long to get there, she would leave - which he knew. Again, I find the possibility of him making any unnecessary side-trips unlikely.
2) I suspect that (given the proximity of the gas station) this is possibly/probably?! a much busier area than JJ's neighborhood was. So, I would think that the possibility that no one saw him get into a car/house on the way is slimmer - than if it happened closer to his home.
3) Re: the possibility that he encountered a nefarious person/persons in the proximity of that tunnel & that his vanishing is connected to this - I find this unlikely. I.e., if a deranged person/persons attacked/assaulted him due to a perceived slight - or a criminal assaulted him in the process of trying to rob him - then where is he?! No body was ever found. The attacker(s) would have needed to quickly get him into a vehicle & leave the area. Sure, it could have happened this way.
4) However - without hard proof that he actually did walk to that gas station & was there @ that time and on that day (i.e., video footage), this is just anecdotal/speculative. I.e., we all know that eyewitness accounts can be notoriously unreliable.
My prevailing theory is that he either went into a house or got into a car (with the car possibility being the most likely) on his way to the school, and that it probably happened within 5-10 minutes of his starting on his walk....i.e., while he was still in his general neighborhood.
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Yes I do really agree with you that whatever happened did happen early on. I always come back to that scenario as being most probable.
D
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One of the reasons I keep coming back to this case is because this is very relatable to me. Though I was somewhat older than JJ was (when he vanished), in my late teens I also used to work in a restaurant - while living in a suburban neighborhood which was somewhat similar to JJ's. And, not having easy access to a car ATT - I also used to walk to & from work for months; this was for several long blocks - i.e., about a 15-20 minute walk each way. I rarely got rides to work, but sometimes got rides home - and this was always via people I worked with. Though, most of the time I did walk home after my shift was over - and this was almost always late at night.
Since I last posted, I've looked into this JJ case more extensively than before. I.e., I've read a lot more of threads #2 & #3, and also listened to the great Unfound podcast: JJ: The Cubs fan who didn't come home (2016) for the first time. This features an informative interview with KJ, JJ's mom. I also wanted to thank those familiar with the area for taking the time to post their thoughts/ideas/opinions. Studebkr - your posts are especially informative & insightful, due to the context & your familiarity with the specific neighborhood/area. Though I've never been to Omaha or NE & have 0 knowledge of this state/city - these posts, the podcast, and the videos tracing JJ's possible route(s) have been interesting & have definitely painted a picture of JJ, the case, and the neighborhood(s)/surrounding areas he would have walked through on his route that day.
In the podcast interview, JJ's mom essentially said he was a good kid & that he wasn't involved in drugs/drinking/shady activities. And, yes -I know a mother would typically try to describe her child/children in the best possible light & I know that young people sometimes hide what they're doing from their parents/family. However - I have done a lot of research on this case, and IMHO JJ was exactly who & what he appeared to be - i.e., a nice/kind, family-oriented, responsible, and hard working guy who was somewhat reserved. His difficulty in "processing" a lot of information at once may have resulted in issues with socializing/dating, but obviously this didn't keep him from moving on with his life. He had graduated H.S./had taken some college classes/was working @ Fazoli's & had another job lined up/was considering going back to college/etc.
Could JJ have been assaulted by his previous H.S. bullies?! This hasn't been discussed much on here. By all accounts, he had been bullied in school. In the podcast interview, his mother didn't believe there was a connection - given that JJ had graduated from H.S. two years prior to his vanishing. That being said, I can somewhat envision a situation where his H.S. school bully/bullies (who could have still lived in the area) are driving around & coincidentally see JJ walking alone. And, under the guise of false friendship - offer him a ride to the H.S.....but having the ulterior motive of wanting to assault him. However, would JJ have willingly gotten into a car with a person/people who had bullied him in the past?! Good question, and this may have depended on whether or not he thought they were being sincere. And, in the event that JJ did get into a car under these circumstances - would the bully/bullies (who would presumably have been roughly JJ's age) have the intelligence/cunning to get rid of a body for 20+ years & keep their mouth(s) shut for all of this time?!! Maybe.
Since I last posted, I've looked into this JJ case more extensively than before. I.e., I've read a lot more of threads #2 & #3, and also listened to the great Unfound podcast: JJ: The Cubs fan who didn't come home (2016) for the first time. This features an informative interview with KJ, JJ's mom. I also wanted to thank those familiar with the area for taking the time to post their thoughts/ideas/opinions. Studebkr - your posts are especially informative & insightful, due to the context & your familiarity with the specific neighborhood/area. Though I've never been to Omaha or NE & have 0 knowledge of this state/city - these posts, the podcast, and the videos tracing JJ's possible route(s) have been interesting & have definitely painted a picture of JJ, the case, and the neighborhood(s)/surrounding areas he would have walked through on his route that day.
In the podcast interview, JJ's mom essentially said he was a good kid & that he wasn't involved in drugs/drinking/shady activities. And, yes -I know a mother would typically try to describe her child/children in the best possible light & I know that young people sometimes hide what they're doing from their parents/family. However - I have done a lot of research on this case, and IMHO JJ was exactly who & what he appeared to be - i.e., a nice/kind, family-oriented, responsible, and hard working guy who was somewhat reserved. His difficulty in "processing" a lot of information at once may have resulted in issues with socializing/dating, but obviously this didn't keep him from moving on with his life. He had graduated H.S./had taken some college classes/was working @ Fazoli's & had another job lined up/was considering going back to college/etc.
Could JJ have been assaulted by his previous H.S. bullies?! This hasn't been discussed much on here. By all accounts, he had been bullied in school. In the podcast interview, his mother didn't believe there was a connection - given that JJ had graduated from H.S. two years prior to his vanishing. That being said, I can somewhat envision a situation where his H.S. school bully/bullies (who could have still lived in the area) are driving around & coincidentally see JJ walking alone. And, under the guise of false friendship - offer him a ride to the H.S.....but having the ulterior motive of wanting to assault him. However, would JJ have willingly gotten into a car with a person/people who had bullied him in the past?! Good question, and this may have depended on whether or not he thought they were being sincere. And, in the event that JJ did get into a car under these circumstances - would the bully/bullies (who would presumably have been roughly JJ's age) have the intelligence/cunning to get rid of a body for 20+ years & keep their mouth(s) shut for all of this time?!! Maybe.
Interesting write up. But honestly I think the perp is someone who lived along the route with a criminal mindset. Did they hop in their car and catch up with JJ? Possibly.
D
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The following is obviously IMHO only:
1) I had mentioned earlier that I found it plausible someone in a car accidentally hit JJ & then, in a panic, brought his body into the car. However, I no longer believe this should be considered a legitimate possibility - for all of the reasons already discussed.
2) I had also mentioned earlier that I thought it was possible (though unlikely) that JJ fell into a hole/gap re: street construction, and that his vanishing was because of this. However, after listening to the podcast & thinking about this some more - I find this extremely implausible & almost not even worth considering - for two reasons:
a) JJ had been walking in his neighborhood/area for years. He had walked to & from the H.S. as a student, and prior to his vanishing was taking regular walks in the evening. So, I strongly believe that he would have been aware of any kind of street construction in this area & would have known what areas to avoid/short cuts/etc. I.e., these streets weren't unfamiliar to him - in fact, quite the opposite. And, as a pedestrian - he would have been aware of side-walks/alternate routes/etc.
b) However - even if he hadn't been aware of this street construction beforehand (maybe he had missed it on his previous walks), his walk to the H.S. was mid-morning that day, when visibility would have been fine. So, he should have been able to see this ahead of time while walking - and easily avoided it by crossing the street/going a different way/etc.
Going along with this, if JJ did have a tragic mishap on his way to the school that day - why was he never found?! According to JJ's mom in the podcast interview, the area was searched extensively in the week(s)?! after he vanished. And, though I know people are sometimes missed in searches like this - you would think he would have been found ATT, or at least sometime in the subsequent 20+ years.
Makes sense - I've always thought the answer lies with someone he encountered in either a house or a car on the way to the school. And, yes - it could have been someone who lived in the area, saw him walking, & caught up with him in a car. Unfortunately, I think JJ met a horrible fate because of someone he knew (even if it was just an acquaintance).
1) I had mentioned earlier that I found it plausible someone in a car accidentally hit JJ & then, in a panic, brought his body into the car. However, I no longer believe this should be considered a legitimate possibility - for all of the reasons already discussed.
2) I had also mentioned earlier that I thought it was possible (though unlikely) that JJ fell into a hole/gap re: street construction, and that his vanishing was because of this. However, after listening to the podcast & thinking about this some more - I find this extremely implausible & almost not even worth considering - for two reasons:
a) JJ had been walking in his neighborhood/area for years. He had walked to & from the H.S. as a student, and prior to his vanishing was taking regular walks in the evening. So, I strongly believe that he would have been aware of any kind of street construction in this area & would have known what areas to avoid/short cuts/etc. I.e., these streets weren't unfamiliar to him - in fact, quite the opposite. And, as a pedestrian - he would have been aware of side-walks/alternate routes/etc.
b) However - even if he hadn't been aware of this street construction beforehand (maybe he had missed it on his previous walks), his walk to the H.S. was mid-morning that day, when visibility would have been fine. So, he should have been able to see this ahead of time while walking - and easily avoided it by crossing the street/going a different way/etc.
Going along with this, if JJ did have a tragic mishap on his way to the school that day - why was he never found?! According to JJ's mom in the podcast interview, the area was searched extensively in the week(s)?! after he vanished. And, though I know people are sometimes missed in searches like this - you would think he would have been found ATT, or at least sometime in the subsequent 20+ years.
Makes sense - I've always thought the answer lies with someone he encountered in either a house or a car on the way to the school. And, yes - it could have been someone who lived in the area, saw him walking, & caught up with him in a car. Unfortunately, I think JJ met a horrible fate because of someone he knew (even if it was just an acquaintance).
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Yes and I sure wish we had a list of every resident that at the time lived along the route JJ would've gone on. I'm guessing the investigators did but I wonder just how closely even the cold case LE would've looked at that.
It doesn't sound like investigators did a stellar job canvassing the neighborhood, especially if they didn't knock on the door of the house directly behind them. For all they knew, studbkr could have seen something, yet no one spoke to him or his son.
It's not like a Casey's, but they do have snacks and soda there. It is more of a service station, or was at that time.
Thank you for this.
Just last weekend (9/3ish) we had a hate crime in Omaha. My niece lives around the 154th and Curtis area. She was out of town, but her husband heard a knock at the door, and it was a young black male, shirtless and bloodied. He called the police and they waited on the patio. Turns out he had been abducted from his place of work, a newly opened bar, by two 40 year-old intoxicated white men. It could have gone terribly wrong, but somehow he got away. This is the latest article I can find on it.
omaha.com
This of course has nothing to do with JJ's case, but illustrates the dumb things people do. These men both had families, and will probably, (thankfully) go to jail.
When I was young, college age, I got myself and some friends in trouble when I pulled up behind a car I thought I recognized and honked my horn. It was not my friend. It drove off, my friends showed up, and then the original car came back with reinforcements who who pounded the crap out of us. I could show them that there were two identical brown Ford Pintos parked in the lot, but they didn't care. They were looking for any excuse to get in a fight that night.
What if JJ walked up to a car that looked like the employee's that was coming to get him, maybe even opened the car door? That might be enough to cause some bad feelings. Especially if that person or person(s) were up to no good.
New details revealed in alleged hate crime assault in Douglas County
Two Bennington men facing felony hate crime charges for an alleged racist assault appeared in court for the first time Friday.
This of course has nothing to do with JJ's case, but illustrates the dumb things people do. These men both had families, and will probably, (thankfully) go to jail.
When I was young, college age, I got myself and some friends in trouble when I pulled up behind a car I thought I recognized and honked my horn. It was not my friend. It drove off, my friends showed up, and then the original car came back with reinforcements who who pounded the crap out of us. I could show them that there were two identical brown Ford Pintos parked in the lot, but they didn't care. They were looking for any excuse to get in a fight that night.
What if JJ walked up to a car that looked like the employee's that was coming to get him, maybe even opened the car door? That might be enough to cause some bad feelings. Especially if that person or person(s) were up to no good.
It has only been in the last year that I learned JJ and his brother MJ were students at Westside High and not Benson. JJ transferred to Benson because of various issues. Some of which were bullying. The Fazoli's where JJ worked is in the District 66 school district which Westside belongs to.
Westside is a rich school. It is why it has its own school district from the rest of Omaha, even though its in the center of the town. The Omaha school district has been unable to annex it. The law in Nebraska states that any child may go to the school of their choosing, as long as there is room in the school, and they do not have disciplinary issues. Still, the majority of district 66 students come from the Fair Acres, Regency, and other "old money" neighborhoods.
The band 311 were student's that came from Westside HS. 11 in the alphabet is K, and that is 3-K's if you get my drift. The members of the band say that 311 was the room number for the disciplinarians office at Westside HS. Though I don't know the truth behind that urban legend, Westside is our version of 90210. I have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 30 years. In that time I have seen more Westside students come through diversion than any other high school. Part of the reason is, that the school has its eyes open, and sends those kids there before the courts do. I've seen a lot of them turn their life around. The problems get overlooked in the inner city.
Westside has more special education than the regular Omaha, schools. I don't understand why JJ would have moved to Benson from Westside if he had learning disability issues. My son went to Benson, and the help for such things like that there were awful.
So, I have rambled a lot, both dissed, and pumped up Westside, but I can see JJ not only getting bullied, but have a group focused on continuing the torment. He was still working on their turf. As I mentioned in my earlier post, its not just the gang-bangers that cause the violence in this town. Sometimes those nuts come from our prep schools.
D
Deleted member 287549
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Good to know. As always, great insight/info. re: this case. The potential bully "angle" is not something that is mentioned/explored that often here. JJ had only been out of H.S. for two years when he vanished. And - even after kids graduate they sometimes still live & work in the same general area afterwards (as JJ was doing). Going along with this, if they do go away to college - in many cases they'll come home for the summer.
Yes, there are lot of hot-headed people out there who can't stand being "disrespected", even if it's an honest mistake where no harm is done. To give a recent example of this exact situation - this past April in TX, a cheerleader opened the wrong car door in a Wal-mart parking lot. When she realized her mistake, she quickly left. However, even though she hadn't done anything wrong - she & her friend were still shot. Sickening:
The issue I have with something like this specifically happening in this case is that it doesn't look like JJ ever got to the H.S. parking lot. I.e., the cameras never caught him entering there ATT - either in a car or on foot. So, I don't think he would have made an honest mistake of trying to get into the wrong car (incorrectly thinking it was the car of the co-worker who was coming to pick him up) unless he had actually arrived at the H.S.
That being said....maybe something similar happened where he mistook a stranger for someone he knew & the stranger reacted violently. It's definitely a possibility.
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@studebkr
You bring up some very good points. On our second date, hubs & I went to the drive-in in my vehicle, which he wasn't familiar with. When he came back from the concession stand, he opened up the door to a stranger's car and got an eyeful, thinking it was mine. I can totally see that happening, just not at the school, because he's not on camera at either school. I wonder if he could he have somehow gotten a ride to the gas station, hopped out, thought he saw his coworker's car and hopped in. If there was no cctv at the gas station, or if there was and it wasn't checked, that would be a shame.
Also, wasn't that gas station the one the coworker called from, looking for Jason?
You bring up some very good points. On our second date, hubs & I went to the drive-in in my vehicle, which he wasn't familiar with. When he came back from the concession stand, he opened up the door to a stranger's car and got an eyeful, thinking it was mine. I can totally see that happening, just not at the school, because he's not on camera at either school. I wonder if he could he have somehow gotten a ride to the gas station, hopped out, thought he saw his coworker's car and hopped in. If there was no cctv at the gas station, or if there was and it wasn't checked, that would be a shame.
Also, wasn't that gas station the one the coworker called from, looking for Jason?
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Not sure I can really subscribe to the bully theory. Bullies abducting and killing someone because "they're bullies" sounds like something you would read in a Stephen King novel. If some kids drove by and recognized Jason, then sure, I can see them throwing something at him from their car, or maybe even stopping to harrass him, and MAYBE rough him up a little. But kidnapping and murdering? Eh. Unless Jason did something to them years prior that they held as a grudge, anything more than teasing seems unlikely. Plus there's the other point mentioned before that these kids would all have to keep their mouths shut for so long.
The problem I have with any theory involving a mugging, beating, or general street crime is that they didn't just leave the body. Why go through all the trouble of hiding his body so well? Yes, Nebraska is rural, so maybe they did just dump him in a field and he just happened to never be found, but I can't help but feel it's more likely that Jason is mummified in someone's crawlspace or buried behind a concrete wall.
The problem I have with any theory involving a mugging, beating, or general street crime is that they didn't just leave the body. Why go through all the trouble of hiding his body so well? Yes, Nebraska is rural, so maybe they did just dump him in a field and he just happened to never be found, but I can't help but feel it's more likely that Jason is mummified in someone's crawlspace or buried behind a concrete wall.
If she couldn't get into the school, that would be the closest payphone at the time. I forget that not everyone had cell phones then. (Do these ads really have to interrupt my typing? I'm going to leave a note for the web developer, being one myself...)
I had a flip phone then. Maybe a pager. Whatever the company paid for. If I had my own, it was 100 minutes a month. My how things have changed.
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