Missing Jackson NJ man: Search Sunday planned for Mortimer Wortman
🔴Mortimer Wortman disappeared near a Jackson school on Nov. 21, 2025
🔴Friends and family are organizing their largest search yet for the missing 23-year-old
🔴Volunteers with K-9s, ATVs and search experience are part of Sunday's search
JACKSON — Friends and family of Mortimer Wortman are planning their largest search yet for the missing New Jersey man as they approach the one-year anniversary of his disappearance, still without answers about what happened to him.
Mortimer "Morty" Wortman, 23, was last seen on Nov. 21, 2025, near the Regional Day School parking lot off Route 571 in Jackson. Several searches by law enforcement in the nearby Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area and by his family have not located Wortman.
His family and best friend, Nicholas Moccio, have continued to hold out hope for a positive outcome despite receiving no new information about Morty.
They are organizing another search at the Regional Day School on Route 571 in Jackson on Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting throughout the day. People with K-9s and ATVs, retired police officers and those already involved with a rescue squad have volunteered to join the search.
"We're coming on up on about a year now, and before it gets cold again, we wanted to see if we can use the momentum and the attention that we have already raised to turn that into some action," Moccio told New Jersey 101.5. "We're going to get as many people out there as we can and do sweeps over some key locations."
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Questions remain about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance
Previous searches have not turned up any significant physical signs of Wortman or his belongings, according to Moccio who met Wortman when they were students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, which is leading the investigation, has not publicly named a suspect. Moccio says the family has not received updates about the investigation that would assure them it remains active.
The Regional Day School is the last place Wortman was seen by Adam Zalouk, who reported him missing. Zalouk's connection to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance remains unclear, a source of frustration for the family and friends.
Video shows Wortman getting into Zalouk's car and traveling about two miles into the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area.
"They stopped at a clearing with a fire pit and and graffiti on the trees. That's the location he described. That's the location that the police gave us. And he said that they had an argument, and Morty had walked off into the woods, saying that he was going home," Moccio said.
"Then he waited 16 hours to report it to the police. Morty's car was found still parked at the school. Anyone looking at this situation would be wondering 'why did why was Morty with Adam? Why did he get into Adam's car?'"
Adding to the mystery, neither the Wortman family nor Moccio really knows Zalouk or the nature of his relationship with Morty.
There was also an encounter between the two in July 2025 in Point Pleasant Beach during which Zalouk asked Wortman for a sexual favor.
When Wortman refused, Zalouk became upset and pulled a knife, walking toward him in a threatening manner, police said. Zalouk then carved the word "slut" into Wortman's car, got into his own vehicle and rammed Wortman's car twice before driving away.
Wortman told police Zalouk was a "friend." Wortman recorded the entire incident on video.
Court records show Zalouk was granted pretrial intervention in January and paid restitution to Wortman's family for the damage to the car. He has never been charged in connection with Wortman's disappearance.
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Friend says Jackson officials haven't done enough to raise awareness
Moccio says Jackson Township officials have not done enough to bring attention to Wortman's disappearance and has confronted the township council during its meetings.
He has gone so far as to accuse Council President Mordechai Burnstein and the council of supporting genocide and what he considers Israel's war crimes. Moccio acknowledges that he made the comments to bring attention to Wortman's disappearance.
"It was a bit of a bait, but they took it, and it raised awareness. They might paint me out as a villain, but if it's raising awareness, that's really the goal. That's what we need is more awareness, more help, more support. And a lot of people don't know, didn't hear about it because the township didn't inform anybody," Moccio said.
Jackson Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and Councilman Christopher Pollack put up a $2,000 reward in January for information leading to the "finding and safe location" of the 22-year-old.
The group CUE Center for Missing Persons has since increased the reward to $10,000 thanks to an anonymous donor.
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How to help with Sunday's search for Mortimer Wortman
The search will take place Sunday at the Regional Day School on Route 571 in Jackson, beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the day.
People with K-9s, ATVs, law enforcement experience or rescue squad experience are particularly encouraged to participate.
Participants should dress in layers and pack water, food and anything else they might need for a long hike.
Chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow expects partly sunny skies with temperatures in the 50s on Sunday.
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Significant or historical events in New Jersey for November (in chronological order)
Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander
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