JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Jackson Township Councilman Chris Pollak has joined Mayor Jennifer Kuhn in personally funding a $2,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of 22-year-old Rutgers University senior Mortimer Wortman, who has been missing for nearly two months.
But Pollak says the township’s response came too late, even blaming the township for its response, which includes search and rescues, community notifications, and now, a reward — and that Kuhn and other township officials should have done more from the start.
“I think the government should have done more, and I’m not afraid to admit that,” he said. “We should have been sharing it more, talking about it more, pushing for it more right from the beginning.”
Wortman, a Jackson resident, was last seen on Nov. 21 on surveillance footage in the parking lot of Regional Day School, according to his brother, Ivan Marks. His disappearance has left family, friends, and neighbors frustrated by what they describe as a slow and quiet search effort.
Pollak said he pushed for the reward after hearing from Wortman’s close friend, Nicholas Moccio, who publicly criticized township and police efforts during a Jan. 6 council meeting. “Mortimer’s family deserves answers,” Moccio said. “Jackson Township residents need to be confident that this town will search when someone goes missing.”
Pollak, who described Wortman’s disappearance as “strange” and “deeply concerning,” said the township should have mobilized more aggressively early on.
The councilman said the decision to offer a reward wasn’t political but personal. “Someone’s life, someone’s child, somebody’s friend, somebody’s family missing is more important than any political garbage we’ve got going on,” Pollak said.
Mayor Kuhn joined Pollak in offering the $2,000 reward, which will be issued for credible information that leads directly to locating Wortman safely.