The absolute last thing a parent appreciates is mystery. Our children are our worlds, and we want to know everything we can about them. But as they get older, “mystery” is part of the deal. They grow into their own people with their own free will and make judgement calls based on (hopefully) the good things we taught them. I think for parents of young kids, like myself, it’s hard to imagine them in college. We assume the worry may ease up a bit, but the truth is, I have a suspicion the worries just become more existential. At least, that is what the case of missing Rutgers University student Mortimer “Morty” Wortman IV, 22, seems to be proving.
Morty was last seen on surveillance footage in the Regional Day School parking lot in Jackson, New Jersey, on November 21, 2025, where his car was eventually found, according to News 12 Jersey. He was seen entering a vehicle with another man, and the two can be seen driving off. The New York Post reported that his family told CBS News the driver of the car had threatened Morty with a knife the summer before, and according to New Jersey News 12, he had also rammed the back of Morty’s car and vandalized it.
“He was chasing my son somewhere around town in Point Pleasant. The public called, and he got arrested. There was no bail. They let him out,” Morty’s father, Mortimer Wortman III, told CBS News.
According to the family, that same man is the one who reported him missing on November 22. As of now, the man is not officially a suspect and hasn’t been charged in connection with the disappearance, but the Wortman family want authorities to re-interview him.
“I think my little brother is, um, he likes to see the best in people, and I’m sure he could have been coerced or persuaded to, you know, get in that vehicle,” brother Ivan Marks elaborated.
Morty’s mother Johanna Reyes, believes the man, whom New Jersey News 12 identified as Adam Zalouk, was actually stalking her son. “I just know that he was hanging around the house. That’s all I know,” she said.
Zalouk was scheduled to stand before a judge to address the charges from the July incident, but Judge Kenneth Palmer postponed the hearing with no explanation.
“Absolutely 100%. We are all convinced that he had something to do with it. Our family wants an arrest. We want him to be arrested, and this is another day he is walking away free,” Marks told New Jersey News 12.
Rutgers University has reportedly been working closely with police to help them find any clues on campus that could reveal where Wortman may be.
“Our thoughts are with Rutgers–New Brunswick student Mortimer ‘Morty’ Wortman and his loved ones during this difficult time. We are seeking any and all information that could help locate Morty,” the school wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“Mortimer’s a great kid, loves nature, very humble,” his father told CBS News. “I want him home. Our family wants him home.”
