Netflix engineer, 22, goes missing in Bay Area

A 22-year-old college graduate was reported missing in the San Francisco Bay Area just weeks after starting a new job. Yohanes Kidane, who recently moved to the Bay Area, was last seen on Monday around 7:15 p.m. getting in an Uber vehicle, his older brother Yosief Kidane told SFGATE. Yohanes Kidane entered the vehicle outside his residence at 28 N. 4th Street in San Jose, according to a missing person flier provided to SFGATE. 

Kidane, who is 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a black hoodie and black shoes.

Kidane told a coworker he was going to downtown San Francisco to meet a friend, Yosief Kidane said. He said his sister grew concerned when she saw Yohanes Kidane’s cell phone location at the Golden Gate Bridge throughout the night and he didn’t answer his phone. 

A commuter found Kidane’s phone and wallet near the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center on Tuesday morning, Yosief said. He added that his brother also did not show up to work on Tuesday. San Jose police conducted a wellness check on Kidane and did not locate him at his San Jose residence. Police found Kidane’s backpack in a bush near the Golden Gate Bridge area, Yosief said.

Kidane, who graduated from Cornell University, started a job at Netflix a few weeks before his disappearance. The family, who lives on the East Coast, quickly traveled to San Francisco to help find Kidane. Yosief Kidane said the family put up fliers and contacted medical centers, homeless shelters, friends and family members.

Yosief said the Bay Area community has been helpful in spreading awareness about his brother’s disappearance, including on social media. 

“We were gonna work tirelessly either way, but it’s really been helpful and supportive for us,” he said. “Right now we don’t have a lot of time to think. We’re just doing as much as we can.”

SJPD said this is an open investigation, and the department does not have any further information available at this time.

Anyone with information about Kidane’s whereabouts is encouraged to call the department at 408-277-8900.