Jason Hawes | |||||||
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.jpg) Hawes | |||||||
| Born | Jason Conrad Hawes (1971-12-27)December 27, 1971 (age 53) Canandaigua, New York, U.S.[1] | ||||||
| Occupations | |||||||
| Organization | The Atlantic Paranormal Society | ||||||
YouTube information | |||||||
| Channel | |||||||
| Years active | 2010–present | ||||||
| Genre | Ghost hunting | ||||||
| Subscribers | 134,000[3] | ||||||
| Total views | 6.1 million[3] | ||||||
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Last updated: Jan 30, 2025 | |||||||
Jason Conrad Hawes (born December 27, 1971)[1] is an American plumber and the co-founder ofThe Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is based inWarwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers ofSyfy'sGhost Hunters, which ended its initial run after its eleventh season on October 26, 2016.[4][5] Several years later, the show was renewed and revived for a 12th season at A&E, with new episodes premiering in August 2019 without Hawes's participation. TAPS co-founder and former lead investigatorGrant Wilson returned to lead a brand new team, while Hawes moved on to lead his own show withGhost Hunters alumni Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves inGhost Nation, which is no longer airing on theTravel Channel since October 2019. The series ended in 2021 when the trio returned to Ghost Hunters after it moved to Travel Channel.
Hawes was born inCanandaigua, New York and moved toWarwick, Rhode Island in 1979.[1] According to his own account, Hawes began to seeapparitions at the age of twenty after a girlfriend who practicedReiki manipulated hislife force energy.Paranormal researcherJohn Zaffis told Hawes that he was becomingsensitive to paranormal phenomena. Hawes founded the Rhode Island Paranormal Society (RIPS) in 1990 as a support group for people who had paranormal experiences.
When Hawes was twenty-two, he went on to found TAPS/The Atlantic Paranormal Society and co-create the major television hitGhost Hunters, which became the flagship show of the Syfy Channel and made it one of the top watched channels on cable. The show's initial run ended in 2016, although it was eventually revived for a 12th season in 2019. By that time, Hawes had opted to create his own show,Ghost Nation, withGhost Hunters alumni Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, which has been airing on theTravel Channel since October 2019.[6][7]
Hawes has written two books on the paranormal and foursci-fi/thriller screenplays.[8] He and fellow TAPS founder Grant Wilson are longtime co-workers at their day job as plumbers forRoto-Rooter. It was Hawes who brought Wilson into the plumbing business.[9] Jason has mentioned on several occasions he has a fondness for beanie hats with brims. The two are former co-owners of the Spalding Inn, based inWhitefield,New Hampshire. They finally sold the Inn in the summer of 2014.[10][11]
Hawes has used public ghost hunting events and personal appearances to raise money for various charities, such as theShriners Hospitals for Children and Cure Kids Cancer.
In March 2005, Barry Clinton Eckstrom, 51, ofUpper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania, began to send threatening e-mails to Jason Hawes, founder of TAPS. Hawes alerted the FBI inProvidence. When the e-mails began to include threats against then PresidentGeorge W. Bush, theSecret Service became involved. Eckstrom also used Hawes's name to send e-mails to some female members of TAPS, in which he threatened to rape and murder them. While under surveillance by federal agents, Eckstrom used aBethel Park, Pennsylvania library computer to send an e-mail in Hawes' name to Roto Rooter'sCincinnati headquarters, threatening to shoot employees there. Next, Eckstrom typed a message threatening to kill President Bush, again in Hawes' name, using theDepartment of Homeland Security's website. Before he could send the message, he was arrested. Because of these activities, Eckstrom was sentenced to two years in federal prison in January 2006.[12][13]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Hawes bio on DragonCon.org