Nearly a year after Rutgers University student Mortimer “Morty” Wortman disappeared in Jackson Township, New Jersey, police and volunteers launched a major search of the area’s forests on Sunday.
More than 75 people took part, according to the Lakewood Scoop, including Chaverim volunteers, the New Jersey State Police Mounted Unit, Conservation Police and other search teams. Rockland Chaverim helped with logistics.
Searchers were briefed at a command post at the Regional Day School, the spot where Wortman was last seen, then fanned out into the woods, covering new sections of the vast forest reserve. The search continued until nightfall.
Last seen at the school
Wortman, who is also known to his family as Mekhai, was a 22-year-old senior at Rutgers University–New Brunswick when he disappeared on November 21, 2025. He had been staying with friends while commuting to classes, and planned to move to Puerto Rico after graduating to help rebuild land damaged by hurricanes.
His mother, Johanna Reyes, describes him as a young man who loved plants, animals and people and was very close to his family, especially his younger sister. He spoke with her every day, she said, so his sudden silence is completely out of character.
The week he disappeared, his iPhone was being repaired, and he was expected home on November 21 to get it. That day, he messaged his mother that he was in Cookstown with a friend and was heading home. He never arrived and has not answered any messages since. He was last seen on surveillance video at the Regional Day School, where his car was later found. His iPad, keys, wallet and a bag are missing.
The man who says he met Wortman at the school that night told police the two had a heated argument, after which Wortman ran into the woods, according to reports. He allegedly waited 16 hours before reporting Wortman missing. Months earlier, the same man had been charged with threatening Wortman with a knife in a separate incident. He has not been named a suspect or charged in connection with the disappearance.
“I know my son’s out there,” Reyes said. The family does not believe Wortman left voluntarily, though authorities have not said whether foul play is suspected. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has said the investigation is active and that it does not disclose details of ongoing investigations.
