22 yo Rutgers student vanishes. Then a security camera shows him getting into a car, but police can’t find the driver

Mortimer “Morty” Wortman, a 22-year-old Rutgers University senior, vanished on November 21, 2025, last seen on security footage getting into a vehicle, but investigators say they still have not located the car or the driver seen with him.

Authorities confirmed surveillance video showed Wortman at about 10:30 p.m. near the Collier Mills Wildlife Management Area and the Regional Day School parking lot in Jackson Township, New Jersey, where Wortman lives. Jackson Township is about 40 miles from New Brunswick, where Rutgers is located. Searchers later found Wortman’s car parked near the Jackson Township school and wilderness area.

The other person

According to local reports, surveillance footage captured Wortman and a friend getting into someone else’s car at the school, but that friend —identified in some social reports as Adam Zalouk from Staten Island, New York — has not so far provided information that led to Wortman’s whereabouts, family members say. Social media says Zalouk is a person of interest in the case, but officials have not confirmed that information.

Jackson Township police have classified Wortman as “missing and endangered” and launched a multi-agency search that has included repeated canvassing of the woods, drone and canine units, and cooperation from Rutgers University Police.

“The matter remains under investigation, using every available investigative tool at our collective disposal,” Jackson Police Chief Matthew D. Kunz said.

Wortman’s brother, Ivan Marks, says he doubts Morty is still in the woods, but somewhere else, and that authorities should focus their efforts elsewhere, according to News 12 New Jersey.

Investigators say the last known location — a stretch of woods along High Bridge Road behind the Regional Day School — is being searched repeatedly because it remains the strongest lead.

A statement from Rutgers

Rutgers confirmed Wortman is a current student and said the university police are assisting local authorities. “The Rutgers University Police Department is working closely with the Jackson Police Department, which is leading the investigation,” Rutgers spokeswoman Megan Florance told reporters.

Family members and friends have described Wortman as a beloved student who commuted to campus this semester; online appeals and a GoFundMe have been launched to help fund expanded search efforts, including a private investigator.

Police descriptions note Wortman is about 5-foot-10 and roughly 200 pounds, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, a nose piercing, and multiple earrings; he was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, burgundy hoodie, and blue jeans. Anyone with information has been asked to call the Jackson Township Police Department.

As of December 2, 2025, there has been no public announcement of arrests or of locating the vehicle’s driver. Local media and national outlets covering the case say searches continue and that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office is coordinating with township police. The Rutgers University Police Department has joined the search efforts and is collecting tips and evidence in cooperation with Jackson police.

Investigators have not released a cause for Wortman’s disappearance or said whether foul play is suspected; by classifying him “endangered,” authorities are urging anyone who saw Wortman or the vehicle he entered on the night of Nov. 21 to come forward. Tips can be provided to Jackson Township Police at 732-928-1111 (press 0).