The day after Christmas, Timothy Hamlett, who turned 21 on New Year’s Day, told his parents he was headed out to connect with some old friends from Teaneck, N.J., where he lived. Hamlett has not been heard from since, a frightening deviation from his routine that has his family concerned about his well-being.
“He has never done anything like this before. This does not fit his personality. It’s a complete departure from how he was a year ago,” his father, Archibald Hamlett, said to NewsOne.
A search has been on-going in the New York metropolitan area for Hamlett, but it is provoking more questions than answers.
The friends Hamlett told his parents he was meeting said they had not spoken to their son since July. The Hamletts learned that Timothy had texted some friends, asking how to get to the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey to New York.
Hamlett’s wallet and cell phone were found by youths in Manhattan, not far from the bridge, near a school.
One of the last confirmed sightings of Hamlett was at a bagel shop in Teaneck, his father said. A token booth clerk, a man in the Bronx and a person at Penn Station in New York all say they might have seen Timothy.
“That’s what is concerning. You figure someone would have seen him by now because you get two or three hits in the same area. That’s what’s troubling,” Archibald Hamlett.
According to Hamlett, his son began acting out of character while at school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he ran track. Hamlett said he believes legal nutritional supplements his son was taking might have affected his behavior.
“I noticed a change in his personality when he started taking sports supplements for running,” Archibald Hamlett said. “He would look at NCAA guidelines, and if it was not banned he would make up supplements.”
Timothy was home from school with his family undergoing diagnostic exams, such as an MRI and tests from a neurologist on his pituitary gland to determine the source of his different behavior.
“He was making improvements lately. You don’t look for a miracle, you look for step-by-step recovery and that’s what we were seeing until recently,” the father said.
Family and friends have helped the Hamlett’s scour the area where Timothy’s property was found and Penn Station in the hopes of finding him. Archibald Hamlett broke down during the interview when he talked about friends he had not heard from in decades joining in on the search.
“It’s heartfelt support,” he said. “You greatly appreciate it.” Hamlett said.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Timothy Hamlett should contact Teaneck Police at (201) 837-2600 or the Hamlett family at (917) 686-0087 or (201) 406-6990.
