A Rutgers University student missing for over two weeks was last seen hitching a ride with an acquaintance who his family claimed was arrested for threatening him with a knife over the summer.
Mortimer “Morty” Wortman IV, a 22-year-old senior at Rutgers University, was last seen on surveillance footage in the Regional Day School parking lot in Jackson, NJ, on the evening of Nov. 21, where his car was later found, News 12 New Jersey reported.
In the footage, Wortman enters a vehicle and the pair drives off.
Wortman’s family told CBS News that the same driver threatened him with a knife over the summer.
“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,” his father, Mortimer Wortman III, told the outlet.
The family claimed that the same man was the one who reported Wortman missing on Nov. 22 and are pushing for police to re-interview him.
“I think my little brother is — he likes to see the best in people, and I’m sure he could have been coerced or persuaded to, you know, get in the vehicle,” Wortman’s brother, Ivan Marks, told the outlet.
News 12 New Jersey identified the man as Adam Zalouk, who had his hearing for the alleged knife-wielding case postponed at the Ocean County Courthouse on Monday.
Zalouk was supposed to face charges relating to a July incident where he allegedly threatened Wortman with a knife, rammed the rear of his car, and vandalized it, the outlet reported. The judge, though, postponed the hearing without explanation.
Johanna Reyes, Wortman’s mother, told the publication that while she has never met Zalouk, she firmly believes he was stalking her son.
“I just know that he was hanging around the house. That’s all I know,” she said.
Zalouk has not been charged or named a suspect in connection with Wortman’s disappearance.
The family told CBS News that they are still conducting daily searches in the 1,200-acre woods near the school where Wortman was last seen.
“I’m very hopeful. My family and I are very hopeful. We believe he is alive somewhere. We have a lot of faith,” Marks said.
“Mortimer’s a great kid, loves nature, very humble. I want him home. Our family wants him home,” Mortimer Wortman III added.
Rutgers University officials assured that they are working “closely” with police as they scour the campus for any clues about 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 post on Facebook.
Wortman was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with a burgundy hoodie and blue jeans. He has several identifiable piercings, including one on his nose. He is considered “endangered,” according to the Jackson Police Department.
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