 Halligan was born on December 18, 1989, in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of John P. and Kelly Halligan.His family moved to Essex Junction, Vermont, where Halligan attended Hiawatha Elementary School and, later, Albert D. Lawton Middle School.He was described by his father as a "gentle, very sensitive soul," who experienced some developmental delays affecting speech and physical coordination in his early school years.