A disappearance of an old football player has gripped the nation. 28-year-old Hadari Darden, a former San Jose State football standout who now works for Kaiser Permanente, left his home in Berkeley and is yet to be seen.
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The mystery started on Saturday, April 4, when the former linebacker told his folks he was heading to a hair appointment in Oakland, but he never made it back. The red flags started flying high when he didn’t show up for a big family gathering on Sunday either.
And by Monday morning, when he missed his shift at Kaiser, his family knew something was seriously wrong because he’s normally incredibly responsible and consistent. The story takes a weird turn in Daly City, which is a bit far from his home. So, around 5:30 AM on Sunday, officers from the Daly City Police Department actually spoke to him at the Skyline Plaza shopping center after getting reports of a “suspicious person” in the area.
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#Berkeley, #CA: 28y/o Hadari was last seen on April 4 in the 1200 block of Curtis Street wearing a grey shirt and blue shorts. He left around 3pm to get his wash and never returned.
Have you seen him?
Please SHARE to #HelpUsFindHadariDarden #HadaroDarden #HelpUsFindUs pic.twitter.com/fwp1qKxSQI
— Blk & Missing FDN (@BAM_FI) April 9, 2026
The officers reported that Hadari seemed ‘normal’ and coherent, so they let him go on his way. This is a huge head-scratcher for the Dardens because Hadari doesn’t own a car, and they have no idea why he’d be out in Daly City in the first place because he doesn’t have any friends there.
His mother, Hanifea Click, is going through a very difficult time and is pleading for help to find her son. She shared her emotions openly, saying, “I don’t know how to feel right now. I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m hurt. I just want to find my son.”
The mama Darden also revealed that Hadari’s behavior had reportedly shifted in the weeks leading up to his disappearance. Click mentioned that he’d been going through some personal struggles, and she had recently urged him to seek therapy.
What is even more sinister is that when family checked his place, most of his belongings were gone, except for a few pairs of shoes. There’s also a strange detail floating around about a “girlfriend” Hadari supposedly mentioned to someone recently. But none of his close friends or relatives have ever met her or even heard her name.
If you’re out and about in the East Bay or the Peninsula, keep an eye out for a tall, athletic man. According to The Black and Missing Foundation (BAMFI), he’s about 6’3 and about 200 lbs with tattoos on his right arm. When the police saw him in Daly City, he was wearing green joggers, a black hoodie, and carrying an army-colored backpack, though some reports say he might have also been seen in a grey t-shirt and blue shorts earlier that weekend.
Because he relies on public transit, his family is desperate for anyone who might have seen him on a BART train or a SamTrans bus to come forward with a timestamp or location.
As of right now, the Berkeley Police Department’s investigations division is leading the charge. But they’ve said there’s currently no evidence of foul play. His uncle, Steven Jefferson, said that the community has come together to support the search efforts. If you have any leads at all, you can reach out to the Berkeley Police at 510-981-5900 or contact his family directly.
Hadari’s college football career
Before he went missing, Hadari was a linebacker for the San Jose State Spartans back in 2018 after balling out in JUCO at Contra Costa College. Over the next three years, he played in 27 games and racked up 84 total tackles.
His best year probably has to be his 2020 season. He started six games and had the game of his life in their 25-24 win against UNLV, recording a career-high eight tackles in that game alone. Back in 2019, he even showed off his special teams skills by blocking a point-after attempt against the Air-force.
Hadari was just as focused on his future. He graduated with a degree in communication studies in 2021 and was actually looking into getting his masters degree because he was interested in sports broadcasting. Since he was such a disciplined and focused athlete, his family says this whole disappearance just doesn’t add up. He wasn’t the type of guy to just wander off or miss work without a word. Hopefully the authorities are able to locate Hadari soon and we can get to the bottom of this mystery without anyone getting hurt.
Written by
Edited by
Arvind Manoharan