New Jersey mom seeks public's help in finding missing UPenn track star son
Timothy Hamlett, 20, has been missing since Dec. 26, his mother Katherine Hamlett said Friday. Timothy's belongings were found in Washington Heights.
BY JAN RANSOM
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, January 2, 2015, 9:00 PM
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Former University of Pennsylvania track star Timothy Hamlett, 20, has been missing since Dec. 26. The New Jersey man could be somewhere in New York City, his family said.
The desperate mother of a missing 20-year-old former University of Pennsylvania track star is seeking the public’s help in her frantic search for her only son.
Timothy Hamlett vanished Dec. 26 after he left his home in Bergen County, N.J., to visit a friend in Manhattan, his mom Katherine Hamlett said Friday.
“It’s difficult and unimaginable in many ways,” Katherine Hamlett, 50, told the Daily News. “We hope it turns out for the best.”
Katherine notified Teaneck Police of her son’s disappearance after the family hadn’t heard from him in several days, she said.
Timothy had told his loved ones he was meeting a friend in the area, Katherine said.
But she later learned he had instead planned to venture to Washington Heights near the George Washington Bridge, where he last had cellular service.
His identification and debit cards and other items in his wallet were discovered in a dumpster near Public School 173 on 174th St. near Broadway, Katherine said.
Police tracked Timothy’s Sprint cellphone to a home in Washington Heights where a group of youngsters said they found the phone and wallet, she added.
Teaneck Police declined to confirm those details or provide any information about the case.
A department spokeswoman, Sgt. Zoraida Martinez, said the investigation is ongoing.
Police do not suspect foul play in the case, according to reports.
A spokesman for the Port Authority Police, which is aiding the investigation with the NYPD, said officers have canvassed the area and local homeless shelters.
Katherine said she and her 55-year-old husband Archibald removed Timothy, a junior philosophy major, from school after noticing a change in his mood.
He stopped being his normal social self and became aggressive and closed-in, she said.
Timony made headlines last fall after he was charged with aggravated assault and criminal mischief for allegedly throwing bricks at four homes and nine cars in Teaneck in May.
“He was experiencing some issues that suggest his behavior had become inconsistent with whom we knew him to be,” Katherine said, adding that performance enhancement supplements may have contributed to the changes.
The Hamlett family has been canvassing Washington Heights and other parts of Manhattan for days looking for any sign of Timothy.
“It’s amazing how resilient you can become when your child’s life is at stake,” the persistent mom said. “It’s a test of endurance and a test of faith.”
Timothy is black, 6-feet tall and was last seen wearing True Religion jeans and blue-purple zip-up Adidas sneakers.
Those interested in helping can call (917) 686-0087 or (201) 406-6990.
