Former San Jose State football star is missing. Family seeks help in his disappearance

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Hadari Darden, 28, is a former San Jose State football star. He was last seen by his family on April 4, 2026. (Hanifea Click)

BERKELEY, Calif. - A search is underway for a former San Jose State football star, as his mother makes a desperate plea asking for help to bring her son home safely.

What we know:

Hadari Dejuan Darden, 28, was last seen by his family on April 4 in Berkeley, where he lives.

His mother, Hanifea Click, said the following morning, around 1:15 a.m., he was spotted in Daly City at the Skyline Plaza Shopping Center.

She said a security guard noticed him walking in the area.

"They called police to come and check Hadari out because it's uncommon for someone to be walking around that plaza at that time while it's closed," the mother said.

She said it didn't appear her son was doing anything wrong but was just briefly questioned because of the late hour he was there.

What we don't know:

"I have no idea as to why he was in that area, and it's a concern because that area is very far away from public transportation. Hadari doesn't have a vehicle. He does have a driver's license, but he doesn't have a vehicle, and that place is very far away from public transportation," the mother shared.

She said she’s been awaiting body camera footage from Daly City police of their encounter with her son, with hopes of getting more information about why he might have been in the area.

‘Unlike him’

Click told KTVU, further concerning was that her son never showed up for his job the following Monday at Kaiser in San Francisco, where he works in the radiology transport department.

"That's unlike him not to go to work," she said.

The mother shared that she’s recently been worried about her son’s mental state and noted Skyline Plaza’s proximity to coastal areas.

"It's near a beach, and when someone is facing a mental health crisis, it's a concern for somebody to be near that water," Click shared.

The mother, who is a registered nurse, said that she's also been concerned that her son might be suffering from head injuries related to his football days.

"May possibly have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which a lot of football players have," Click explained.

Also known as CTE, the condition is a progressive brain disease that can result from repeated blows or trauma to the head from contact sports and has been linked to mood disorders and behavioral changes.

The backstory:

From 2017 to 2020, Darden played football for the Spartans. Prior to that, he played a season at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, where the linebacker attended for a year after playing football at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward.

Mom said he seemed a little withdrawn lately, but he’s never disappeared or cut off communication like this before.

Click said she reported her son missing in Berkeley because that's where his family last saw him. She also expressed frustration, saying she doesn’t feel police have been responsive enough or taken enough action in the search for her son.

Family and friends have been searching

The mom said family and friends have been holding their own searches around Daly City, especially near the water, in hopes of locating Darden.

KTVU has reached out to both Berkeley police and Daly City police about the case but has not yet heard back from them.

Description of the missing man

Darden is described as Black, 6-foot 3-inches tall, 200 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos on his right arm.

Click added that, based on an image from the Daly City police body camera footage of her son, he was wearing a black hoodie, green joggers, black tennis shoes and was carrying a green backpack.