Family, friends continue search for missing Rutgers student Morty Wortman in Jackson
Wortman was last seen with Adam Zalouk at the Regional Day School in Jackson on Nov. 21, 2025.
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Nearly a year after Rutgers University student Morty Wortman disappeared, his family and friends are still searching for answers.
Dozens of volunteers gathered in Jackson on Sunday, Nov. 8, to search new areas for any clues that could help locate Wortman, who has been missing since Nov. 21, 2025.
Organizers said four search groups were sent out to cover different locations, hoping to find anything that could provide answers about what happened to him.
Wortman’s mother, Johanna Reyes, says the pain of not having her son home has been overwhelming.
“If I see him right now, I would jump on him. I would hug him, kiss him, tell him that I love him,” Reyes said.
Family and friends say they are not giving up, even as the months pass without answers.
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One volunteer said the goal is to find anything that could help establish whether Wortman was in the wooded areas, including personal belongings or clothing.
Wortman was last seen with Adam Zalouk at the Regional Day School in Jackson, where the search took place. Volunteers planned to search the area until sunset.
Zalouk appeared in court earlier this year in a separate case involving damage to Wortman’s vehicle. He was ordered to pay the family for the damage and admitted to threatening Wortman and slashing his car with a knife. The court case was not related to Wortman’s disappearance.
Wortman’s family believes Zalouk may know more about what happened, but his involvement in the disappearance has not been established.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that could help find Wortman.
Family members are urging anyone with information to come forward as they continue their efforts to bring him home.
