JACKSON – Family members of a man who has been missing for months again called on elected officials for help finding him.
Mortimer “Mekhi” Wortman was last seen on November 21, 2025 in the vicinity of the Collier Mills Wildlife Management Area near High Bridge Road.
He was last seen at Regional Day School at 890 Toms River Road that is adjacent to Collier Mills. His friend Adam Zalouk stated in a 911 call the next day, that following an argument in the car, Wortman left Zalouk’s car to walk home walking in the woods of Collier Mills around 10 p.m.
The 22-year-old African-American/Hispanic man was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, a burgundy sweatshirt and blue jeans. Wortman did not have a cell phone with him but did have an iPad. Zalouk described him as walking in the direction of a fire pit within the area.
Wortman is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 200 pounds, with light skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He has a nose piercing and several earrings in each ear. Police have repeatedly searched the wooded preserve with officers canvassing the nature preserve which spans more than 12,000 acres.
A large law enforcement presence returned to Collier Mills on December 6, 2025 as the search expanded. Multiple agencies, including the New Jersey State Police, Jackson Police Department and Manchester Police Department, assisted the prosecutor’s office, which is leading the investigation.
Wortman is a Rutgers college senior who commuted to campus and was last seen on surveillance footage getting into a car with Zalouk at the Regional Day School in Jackson the night he vanished. Wortman’s car was later found in the school’s parking lot. Family and friends describe Wortman as a kind young man who is deeply loved.
During a Township Council meeting last month which marked 144 days since his disappearance, three members of his family came before the podium wearing matching T-shirts that featured Wortman’s image. They held posters with his photograph and expressed their frustration about the situation and a promise they said had not been kept.
Selena Tevis introduced Johanna Reyes, Wortman’s mother and LaSandra Reyes, his aunt. She spoke to the council “as someone who is outraged and deeply disappointed by the lack of accountability and urgency shown by our local leadership in the case of a missing 22-year-old resident Mortimer Wortman.”
She added, “this is not just another issue before the council. This is a young man from our town who has been missing for months. His family has been living a nightmare that no one should ever have to endure.”
Tevis noted a reward that had been offered “in hopes of bringing him home” and “promises that were made publicly by both Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and Councilman Chris Pollak to each contribute $1,000 towards the reward. Councilman Pollak, you followed through. Thank you. The family thanks you.”
“At this time leadership matters most. This failure to honor a public commitment is unacceptable. This is not simply about $1,000. It is about the integrity, the credibility, whether the people elected to lead this township are willing to stand by their word when it truly matters,” Tevis added.
She noted that fundraisers were being organized and donations are being sought and awareness being pushed “not because of strong municipal leadership but in spite of its absence. I am calling on the Jackson Council to address this failure directly and to ensure that all publicly made communications are honored immediately.”
“We understand there is an investigation. We cannot compromise the investigation but as a community, we could definitely do more,” Tevis added.
Mayor Kuhn broke in saying, she spoke to Tevis “multiple, multiple, multiple times.”
“I have 21 seconds left thank you very much,” Tevis replied noting her five-minute public comment period had not yet concluded. “As a community, I am asking what you guys are planning to do further to raise awareness? Let’s keep his face out there. We should be doing that together as a community.”
The mayor asked Council President Mordechai Burnstein for an opportunity to respond saying “I am flabbergasted because I was the only one that was boots on the ground in this room.” She was referencing her presence during one of the searches for Wortman.
She told Tevis “I’ve met you and spoken with you, multiple times and I was advised and I spoke to Councilman Pollak regarding the thousand dollars when he gave the thousand dollars over. I had asked the attorneys because everything I do gets twisted and turned and if I gave you a thousand dollars when we had said it was for the finding of Mortimer, I followed my attorney’s rules and regulations.”
Kuhn added, “you told me you had a third-party account. I have it in writing. I have to stick up for myself because you are making me look like a horrible person.”
The council president interjected “I don’t think anyone up here fully understands what the family is going through and we completely do stand with the family and we are open to more ideas and anything we can do to bring an awareness.”
Burnstein confirmed that Kuhn had reached out to township legal staff concerning the $1,000 donation and “as an elected official you have to be very careful when you give money over and she was told that was given over as a reward so I’m going to defend the mayor. It was a reward that she initially gave.”
“Each of you could afford to take $500 out of your pocket and you wouldn’t miss a beat so let’s stop talking about attorneys and the proper channels. If you gave a crap about our community and a resident you would have come out of pocket and did what you had to do to help find this kid,” Tevis replied.
Councilman Pollak noted during the latest council meeting that Wortman was still missing and for residents to keep him in mind.
“His friends and family still don’t have answers and I want to urge all levels of government and law enforcement to help look deeper into this. People all over New Jersey and Staten Island please – if you saw anything or know anything – please speak up,” the councilman stated.
Anyone with information about Wortman’s disappearance is asked to call the Jackson Township Police Department at 732-928-1111 and press 0 to reach the on-duty dispatcher.
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