Police seek clues in case of missing Israelis

Jen Lawson

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

Last month, two 25-year-old Israeli men drove to Las Vegas from California to find work as nightclub disc jockeys.

Within days, Metro Police found their car abandoned next to the downtown police substation on Fremont Street. The keys were in the ignition and their personal belongings were still in the car.

Benard Wertzberger and Adar Neeman seemed to have just disappeared, said Josef Lazarovitz, a private investigator in Van Nuys, Calif.

"We can't rule out foul play or terrorism against Israeli nationalists," Lazarovitz said. "Everything is still up in the air. We don't have anything concrete."

But Metro Detective Roberto Juarez said this case is not suspicious.

"Big time, no," Juarez said. "You're dealing with two young kids who came to Vegas and they're out here doing the Vegas thing."

The pair left California on Dec. 2 in a blue 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier convertible, hoping to get jobs as DJs. Friends soon contacted the men's families in Israel after failing to hear from them for several days.

Their Cavalier was impounded Dec. 7 after it was found next to Metro's downtown substation, but authorities were not immediately notified because a missing persons report had not been filed with Metro Police.

The car was filled with the men's personal belongings, including a laptop computer, DJ equipment and clothes. The keys were still in the ignition.

But there was no sign of Wertzberger or Neeman, both veterans of the Israel Defense Forces and high school friends.

Sgt. Tom Wagner of Metro's missing persons section said they are investigating, but the men's families "aren't being forthcoming with information." He would not elaborate.

"We're treating it as any other missing persons case," Wagner said.

Juarez said Wertzberger was several months behind on his car payments, and Juarez believes Wertzberger wanted to get out of a financial bind. Wertzberger left the car next to a police building knowing it would be found.

Also, Juarez said, Wertzberger had lived in Las Vegas until a few months ago, and has a former roommate here.

"Why do people do what they do?" Juarez said. "Being a missing person is not a crime."

But the mens' families want answers. The Israeli Consulate contacted Lazarovitz on Dec. 15 and asked him to investigate on behalf of the men's families.

Lazarovitz and his partner, Avi Benami, have been interviewing people near where the car was found and researching cell phone records.

Dan Aerberhard, a friend of the missing men, told the Los Angeles Daily News that he called Wertzberger's cell phone on Dec. 5 and someone with a Hispanic-sounding voice answered.

"The guy on the other end said, 'I found this phone,' And the guy said some really strange stuff -- he said something like, 'I hope your friend is OK. I hope nothing has happened to him," Aerberhard said. "He said he was in East L.A., but he was going back to Vegas."

Nobody used Wertzberger's cell phone or credit cards since Dec. 6, investigators said.

Several people have claimed they saw the men at various times early this month, Benami said. They apparently were seen at convenience stores where they bought cigarettes and orange drinks. They also bought calling cards at least twice, claiming they had to call their homeland.

Lazarovitz said he is hopeful the men are still alive.

"I want to be positive," he said. "If we have the time and the resources, I know we're going to turn them up, one way or another."

The missing men weren't into drugs, and their friends and family said they don't think they would disappear voluntarily, Lazarovitz said.

"They were very nice guys who called home every few days," he said.

Wednesday evening, Lazarovitz was on his way to the Los Angeles International Airport to pick up the mothers of the two men. They were flying in from Rishon Letzion in Israel to help with the search.

Wertzberger had been living in California in the San Fernando Valley and West Hollywood for the past two years and working in nightclubs as a disc jockey.

Neeman had been living in Israel and arrived in California on Nov. 28 after spending about a week in New York.