A New Jersey man will evade jail time after he was charged with threatening a university pupil who has been lacking for months.
Relations consider Adam Zalouk is linked to Morty Wortman’s disappearance.
Wortman, a Rutgers College pupil, went lacking on Nov. 21, 2025. The day he vanished, he was final seen with Zalouk within the parking zone of a faculty in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
Zalouk reported him lacking the subsequent day and instructed officers he noticed him stroll into a close-by wildlife space and by no means return.
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“Adam instructed police that he and my little brother went into the woods,” Wortman’s brother, Ivan Marks, instructed NewsNation. “They’d some kind of argument or disagreement within the woods, and Mekhai stormed off upset, saying that he’ll simply stroll dwelling himself.”
Authorities searched 12,000 acres of the wooded space for any signal of Wortman, however by no means situated him. He stays lacking.
Months earlier than his disappearance, Zalouk was charged with making terroristic threats at Wortman. The pair had been reportedly in a romantic relationship on the time.
The fees stem from an incident final summer time. Wortman instructed police that in the future, he rejected Zalouk’s sexual advances, and Zalouk grew to become offended, threatened him with a knife, then used that very same knife to carve the phrase ‘slut’ into the facet of Wortman’s automobile. He additionally rammed the again of Wortman’s automobile earlier than fleeing the scene.
Zalouk pleaded responsible on March 2 to creating terroristic threats in alternate for no jail time, in line with News12.
The Ocean County Prosecutor provided the plea deal as a result of Wortman wasn’t out there to testify within the case. The decide overseeing the case agreed with the evaluation, stating that Wortman is required in courtroom to proceed with the prosecution.
As a part of the deal, he’ll should bear pre-trial intervention, psychological well being evaluations and drug testing.
Different expenses Zalouk confronted, together with weapons possession and felony mischief, had been dropped.
Wortman’s relations who had been on the plea listening to decried the cut price.
Though authorities by no means linked Zalouk to Wortman’s disappearance, Wortman’s household and buddies are satisfied he had one thing to do with it.
“I actually consider Adam is aware of the place my son is at. He’s been stalking him, calling the home, threatening to kill him,” Wortman’s father instructed the courtroom.
“I do know [Zalouk] did one thing. [Wortman] would by no means simply disappear. He would by no means go away his household. He’s a mama’s boy. [Zalouk] had one thing to do with it,” Wortman’s pal, Trinity Cottrell, added. “He was telling me in the summertime that he was being stalked by [Zalouk] and there have been quite a few conversations that [Wortman] expressed his concern for that.”
Wortman’s household began a GoFundMe to lift cash for a non-public investigator and extra assets to trace him down.
There’s additionally a $10,000 reward for data resulting in Wortman’s whereabouts.
