Local News

Wakefield man ‘vanished,’ has been missing for 3 weeks, wife says

Jason Thomas’s family and friends have kept up search efforts, calling his disappearance “every loved one’s worst nightmare.”

Jason Thomas has been missing since Dec. 12. Wakefield Police Department

January 5, 2026

2 minutes to read

More than three weeks after he disappeared in the night, a Wakefield man’s family and friends continue to plead for help tracking him down.

Jason Thomas, 45, was last seen shortly before midnight on Dec. 12 in the area of Murray and Chestnut streets, Wakefield police said. Thomas left home on foot, leaving his phone and wallet behind, his wife, Kristen Bartoli, told Boston 25 News.

“We just want to know that he’s safe. We don’t know where he went; he literally vanished,” Bartoli told the news outlet.

Thomas’s family and friends have launched a GoFundMe to help raise money for private investigators and Bartoli’s day-to-day needs, calling his disappearance “every loved one’s worst nightmare.”

According to the fundraiser description, Thomas — a scientist at the pharmaceutical company Novartis — is “a devoted fur dad to his five pups, a wonderful uncle, and a deeply loved member of our family. His sudden disappearance has left Kristen, and all of us, heartbroken, frightened, and searching for answers no family should ever have to seek.”

Both of Thomas’s parents died in November, and Bartoli told Boston 25 her husband was having a difficult time coping.

“He’s an only child,” Bartoli said. “It was really overwhelming.”

Thomas was last caught on camera near the train tracks at the corner of Chestnut Street and North Avenue in Wakefield, according to the GoFundMe. However, Bartoli told Boston 25 that the conductor on a train that passed through the area shortly after midnight didn’t see him board.

The GoFundMe had raised nearly $55,000 as of Monday afternoon, and Thomas’s friends and family have also been sharing flyers and posting online to raise awareness about his disappearance.

According to Wakefield police, Thomas is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 180 pounds, and he was last seen wearing a white and gray puffer jacket, dark pants, black sneakers with white laces, and a black winter hat and gloves.

The department urged anyone with information or potential sightings to call 781-245-1212.

“Jason, if you’re reading this, please know that we all love you so much,” a message posted to the GoFundMe page reads. “Please let us know you are okay. You are deeply missed, and we are holding onto hope every single day that you will come home.”