JOHNSON CITY, TN (LOOTPRESS) – A popular railroad hobo YouTuber known as “Hobo Shoestring” is currently missing following a visit to the emergency room.
According to The Aware Foundation, 53-year-old Mark Nichols, AKA Hobo Shoestring, is missing and has not been seen since March 27th.
Mark is a well-known YouTuber with nearly 200,000 subscribers. He has gained popularity as a “professional hobo” as he hops on freight trains and rides them to different places throughout the United States.
He was uploading regularly about two to or three times a month, but it has been over one month since his last video was posted.
Yesterday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for 53-year-old Nichols.
The Johnson City Police Department is also attempting to locate the missing 53-year-old male.
Nichols was last seen on a neighbor’s ring doorbell camera entering his townhouse in Johnson City, TN on March 27, 2024, at 7:02 a.m. Mark had just gotten home around 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning after a visit to the ER.
According to The Aware Foundation, he was experiencing hallucinations and an altered mental state. Mark is legally blind and extremely hard of hearing.
He’s missing his pinkie and ring finger on his left hand due to an accident in 2017. Mark has no teeth or dentures. He has a long grey and white beard (chest length). All the doors to his townhouse were locked except the sliding glass door on the upper deck.
His personal belongings and medications were found inside. If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact the Johnson City Police Department at 423-434-6160 or call 911.
Since the news broke, friends and fellow railroad YouTubers have gone to known Hobo Shoestring campsites in hopes of clues or finding Nichols himself.
As of Monday, April 1, no further updates on his disappearance have been released.
