For the petroleum company, see RON. For the mission, see Nervous Ron.
- Michael: "So what's your story?"
- Ron: "I ain't got a story. I'm an independent thinker. Living out here, away from the man."
- ―Ron Jakowski to Michael De Santa in Derailed.
Ronald "Ron" Jakowski is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series, appearing as a main character and deuteragonist to Trevor Philips in Grand Theft Auto V, and as a main character in Grand Theft Auto Online.
He is voiced by David Mogentale.
History[]
Background[]
Ron Jakowski is a paranoid conspiracy theorist, entrepreneur, and podcaster. He is an associate and neighbour of Trevor Philips, intern at Trevor Philips Enterprises, and the host of a podcast during the Blaine County Radio Community Hour on Blaine County Talk Radio. He occasionally acts as the CEO of Trevor's business, managing it while Trevor is not in Sandy Shores.
Ronald Jakowski was possibly born in the Midwestern United States and previously worked as an accountant. He was happily married for 12 years before he met Trevor Philips. Trevor convinced him that his wife was only holding him back in life and scared her when he threatened dismemberment. Ron was kicked out by his wife and they divorced, with Ron deep in debt due to paying settlement fees to her. He ended up becoming Trevor's "best friend" and moved into a trailer next door to him in Sandy Shores, San Andreas. He began to obsess over conspiracy theories and work for Trevor's company, Trevor Philips Enterprises. At some point, he began hosting Blaine County Radio's Community Hour. As part of his conspiracy theories, he worked with drone-jamming technology.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online (before Grand Theft Auto V)[]
In 2013, the GTA Online Protagonist, working for Families member Gerald steals an RV belonging to Trevor Philips Enterprises. Ron messages the Protagonist, who comes to Trevor's Trailer to settle the issue and watches as Trevor instructs the player to do work for him to make-up for taking his RV. Ron then gives the player missions for Trevor and Trevor Philips Enterprises, mostly comprising of taking various things from The Lost MC, such as one of their vans, a tanker, a van full of weapons, some bikes, an RV meth lab, and a boat. He also tasks the player with stealing a Cargobob from Fort Zancudo, a boat from the federal government (removed in the Enhanced Edition), and a plane from a rival drug dealing crew. He also occasionally calls the Player to remind them about Crate Drops (removed in the Freemode Events Update).
He later helps Trevor pitch the Series A heist to the player. He is often the person the Crew meets at the end of each setup mission. He also provides information to the crew through Earpieces during some of the missions. He is then seen briefly in the Finale, informing the Crew of the Gangs incoming attack on Trevor.
Events of Grand Theft Auto V[]
Ron is first seen trying to calm down Johnny Klebitz while he is angrily heading towards Trevor's trailer. However, the efforts of Ron and Wade Hebert could not prevent Trevor from murdering Johnny.
The three men get into Trevor's Bodhi to drive towards The Lost MC's location in Grapeseed. Once there, they confront and threaten Terry Thorpe and Clay Simons. This causes the two bikers to ride back to Stab City to warn the other Lost members, but Trevor kills them en route.
Eventually, the trio arrive at The Range, the Lost's headquarters. Ron and Wade wait in Trevor's truck while Trevor kills the bikers. After the bikers are killed, Ron and Trevor drive towards Ortega's trailer. Trevor rams Ortega's trailer into the river, before either killing or sparing Ortega.
A few days later, some members of The Lost ransack Trevor's Trailer in retaliation for Johnny's murder. Following this, Trevor decides to wipe out The Lost's presence in Blaine County. Ron assists him in taking over the Sandy Shores Airfield. Trevor orders Ron to sneak into the airfield while Trevor provides cover as a lookout in a water tower. After Trevor "buys" a Sniper Rifle, Ron takes his Blazer and sneaks into the airfield undetected, thanks to Trevor's sniping. Ron places explosives on the gas tank and it explodes. The duo flies off in two airplanes and deliver the guns to their Mexican contact, before landing at McKenzie Field.
After Wade discovers Michael Townley's whereabouts in Los Santos, Trevor puts Ron in temporary charge of Trevor Philips Enterprises while he and Wade are in Los Santos. Ron remains in Sandy Shores and runs the business during Trevor's absence. While Trevor is in Los Santos, Ron occasionally contacts Trevor asking for advice and to inform Trevor that some Chinese men have been surveying Trevor's trailer and his meth lab. Trevor can also call Ron on occasion to ask him about the business.
After working with Martin Madrazo, kidnapping his wife and being exiled from Los Santos, Trevor finally returns to Sandy Shores with Michael and he starts working with Ron again. While Trevor was away, Ron says that he has been monitoring chatter and tapping into Merryweather networks to collect information about them. Trevor uses this information to "intercept" a Merryweather weapons plane and later derailing a Merryweather train carrying precious goods. Ron also interacts with Michael for the first time during his stay in Sandy Shores, when they can be seen discussing Ron's paranoia in one switch scene, and the player can speak to Ron while controlling Michael using the interact button, although Ron will respond by insulting Michael.
After Trevor returns to Los Santos, Ron is only heard again in two missions. The first is in Bury the Hatchet if the player starts the mission using Trevor, where Trevor asks Ron to prepare a plane for him to go to North Yankton. The other depends on the player's choice at the end of the game.
Ending[]
Ron sends a text message to Trevor informing him that he has left a gift to him by his trailer. During the mission The Third Way, if the player switches to Trevor while the protagonists are driving towards their targets, Trevor will call Ron to inform him that Trevor Philips Enterprises' future looks good, since they have more money coming in and that the "Chinese problem" will soon be taken care of. Ron appears optimistic after hearing this.
Ron sends an e-mail message to Michael saying that he can't believe he killed Trevor, and that thanks to him he lost everything he had, his best friend and the business they developed. Ron insults Michael, who treats his email as "spam" and tells Ron not to contact him again.
Ron sends a text message to Trevor informing him that he has left a gift to him by his trailer.
During and after the storyline, Ron can often be found outside Trevor's trailer, spouting random conspiracy theories or training his aim by shooting tin cans. He can also be found inside the trailer listening to a radio through headphones. If the player interacts with Ron as Trevor, he will insult Ron for how "useless" he is with Ron apologizing as a response. If the player interacts with Ron as Michael, he will call him "Trevor's weird friend" and creepy, but Ron does not respond. Franklin is the only protagonist who cannot interact with Ron because they did not meet each other in the storyline.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online (after Grand Theft Auto V)[]
Smuggler's Run[]
Ron Jakowski: “Oh, you're my new part-ner... you bought into the place. You're late, what kept you?”
GTA Online Protagonist: “... (interrupted)”
Ron Jakowski: “Yeah, well it's too late. That bastard Tre... uh, my best friend... he's supposed to protect me forever... then he goes all Vinewood on me... he's too important for Ron now... he's a guru... he's a life style coach... I don't know what he is... I bet he's got abs...”
— Ron Jakowski meeting the GTA Online Protagonist after they purchase the Hangar.
In 2017, Ron secures a partnership with the GTA Online Protagonist in the contraband smuggling business, in which he gets a 3% cut of the goods smuggled by the player. Once the protagonist purchases a hangar, he is seen trying to dispose the bodies of two agents. When introducing the hangar, he makes a passing reference to Trevor having "gone Vinewood on him" and refers to him indirectly as his "old boss", revealing Ron and Trevor's parternship has come to an end sometime between 2013 and 2017.
A new episode of the Blaine County Radio Community Hour podcast is broadcast by Blaine County Talk Radio, featuring various references to events during Grand Theft Auto V's timeline, Grand Theft Auto itself and events such as snow in Los Santos during Christmas events and switching characters, and a monologue indirectly referencing the fact that the GTA Online's timeline is now advancing in real-life timing. It also stars a guest, a right-wing activist named Sophia Bowles-Carmichael. Eventually, Ron discovers that Sophia merely came onto the show to seduce him as she hadn't been with a man in a decade. She attempts to bang on the doors of Ron's rooms to let her back in, but Ron rejects this.
Los Santos Drug Wars[]
In late 2022, Ron calls the GTA Online Protagonist, telling them an unidentified group has taken over Trevor's old property at Liquor Ace in Sandy Shores and asking them to meet him there. When the protagonist arrives, they find a crowd gathered to watch an impromptu wrestling match, as Ron had somehow ended up going against a large woman, later revealed to be Luchadora, who easily pins him down. Ron asks the protagonist to help him before things are interrupted by the group's leader, Dax, who questions the protagonist. Ron introduces them as his "extremely dangerous" friend, and after determining the protagonist is cool, Dax introduces them to the rest of his troupe, including Luchadora and Labrat. Ron later expresses concern to Dax about Chef, who has passed out after taking a large number of drugs, and advises the protagonist not to join up with the troupe, seeing them as nothing more than a bunch of "weirdos". He then manages to rouse Chef and help him leave the scene, just before The Lost MC's attack on the liquor store.
Character[]
Personality[]
Rockstar describes Ron by saying "if his best buddy Trevor Philips is like a shark, Ron is like a remora", who is "paranoid but terrified" of Trevor.
Ron describes himself as a "independent thinker" who lives in Sandy Shores to be "away from the man". This has resulted in Ron becoming very paranoid, constantly worrying about government surveillance, such as wiretapping cellphones, or various other conspiracies. This can be seen multiple times during the storyline, like when he claims that the military or FIB sent a drone to spy on him and Trevor due to their arms dealing or when he is found outside Trevor's Trailer using a device to locate alien frequencies.
He is an unlikely friend of Trevor but as said above, he is terrified of him and so goes to great lengths to appease him whenever he can, such as when he let Trevor bully him into giving up his share of the profits of an arms dealing job the two carried out, especially if Trevor is close to losing his very short temper. Trevor describes Ron as a "conspiracy theorist", which fits with his paranoia. Despite Ron's timidness, he acts as a sort of henchman for Trevor and helps him with missions such as sneaking around the Lost MC's base to plant explosives while Trevor watches and covers him through a sniper scope, which indicates a level of trust between them, and when Trevor introduces Ron to Michael, he describes Ron as "very loyal" and "dependable".
Due to trying to appease Trevor whenever he can, Ron will always agree with Trevor even when the latter insults him or his conspiracy theories, making him something of a "yes man". Despite his fear, he seems to genuinely look up to Trevor, even with Trevor often threatening him with violence. This concern can be seen in the mission Derailed, where Ron admits to Michael that Trevor is indeed a "bad person", but he does have a "sensitive side". Ron's undying loyalty to Trevor is also shown in a text at the end of Something Sensible, where he curses Michael for killing Trevor, showing also that Ron's loyalty to him is more than just out of fear.
Despite his loyalty to Trevor, it's clear that Trevor is a toxic influence on Ron. Trevor's regular threats of violence against Ron have had negative effects on Ron's life (Trevor was the reason Ron's wife divorced him after he threatened to dismember her), and his fear of what will happen should Trevor follow through on his threats causes him to agree with whatever he's planning in order to appease him, leading him to develop Stockholm Syndrome to a degree. This is exemplified during Smuggler's Run when Ron, fearful that the GTA Online Protagonist might become hostile should he screw up, begs them not to hurt him.
Despite his timidness and meek personality, Ron has shown himself capable of murder without any prompt from Trevor, as the GTA Online Protagonist met Ron in a hangar after he just killed two agents. Ron also became a partner of another business and occasionally gave out missions that sometimes required killing other competitors to the smuggling operation, showing that Ron has become dangerous and ruthless in his own right due to Trevor's influence and his own paranoid personality.
Murders Committed[]
- Two unknown agents - Killed for unknown reasons. He is seen trying to dispose of their bodies during the introductory scene for the hangar.
Prominent Appearances in Missions[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Mr. Philips
- Nervous Ron (Boss)
- Friends Reunited
- Scouting the Port (Voice)
- Minor Turbulence (Boss)
- Derailed (Boss)
- Bury the Hatchet (Voice, only if started by Trevor)
- Something Sensible (Option A/Post-mission e-mail)
- The Time's Come (Option B/Post-mission message)
- The Third Way (Option C/Voice, only if the player switches to Trevor)
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Romance Isn't Dead (Boss)
- Fuelling the Flames (Boss)
- Turbine Carbine (Boss)
- Daemon Run (Boss)
- Base Invaders (Boss)
- Crank Up the Volume (Boss)
- A Boat in the Bay (Boss)[note 1]
- Wet Workers (Boss)
- Landing Gear (Boss)
Heists[]
- Series A - Coke (Boss)
- Series A - Trash Truck (Boss)
- Series A - Bikers (Boss)
- Series A - Weed (Boss)
- Series A - Steal Meth (Boss)
- Series A Funding (Boss)
Smuggler's Run[]
- Cutscene after purchasing a Hangar.
- Air Freight Cargo (Voice/Boss/Introductory)
- Steal Missions (Voice/Boss)
- Sell Missions (Voice/Boss)
Los Santos Drug Wars[]
Services (GTA Online)[]
Service | GTA Online Description | In-Game Effect | Cost | Level Requirement |
---|---|---|---|---|
Request Job | Request an invite to a previously completed Job. | After a few seconds, the player will be sent an invite to a random job they have previously completed for Ron. | $0 | 0 |
Request Air-Freight-Cargo | Source Air-Freight-Cargo for your Hangar. | After a few seconds, Ron will call the player back, and a random source mission for a random type of cargo will start. | $0 |
Gallery[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Trivia[]
- In GTA V, if the player "kills" Ron, $5000 will be withdrawn from the player's bank account to pay for Ron's medical treatment. He will then send the player a text explaining that he is using the money to pay off settlement payments. Interestingly enough, he will do this for all protagonists, despite the fact that he and Franklin Clinton never met in the storyline.
- Ron's phone number is 328-555-0198.
- Trevor cannot call Ron to hang out.
- Ron can appear at the front of the trailer making alcohol before walking away. If Trevor interacts with Ron when he walks away, he may speak to Ron as if he was an NPC, but in a friendly tone, saying lines such as "Hello, tough guy". Ron will respond to Trevor as if Trevor was a stranger.
- According to the Rush Casting Call, Ron's beta name was 'Nervous' Jerry.
- If Ron is attacked with a melee weapon, he will not retaliate even if he is armed with a pistol.
- A random pedestrian can sometimes be seen sitting in the lawnchair relaxing outside Ron's trailer. If he is approached by any of the protagonists, he will warn the player to back off before becoming hostile.
- If Trevor interacts with Ron before he leaves Sandy Shores to find Michael, the two will have polite conversations with each other, with Trevor often saying "It's Nervous Ron" and Ron replying with "It's Crazy Trevor".
- In GTA Online, Ron has a different voicemail than the one he uses in GTA V.
References[]
- ↑ This mission is no longer available in Grand Theft Auto Online.