Actor Devon Werkheiser has spoken of his heartbreak after Nickelodeon co-star Tylor Chase was found living homeless on the streets of Los Angeles.
Chase, who played Martin Qwerly on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide in the 2000s, was captured in a recent social media video after onlookers recognised the former actor sleeping rough.
Werkheiser, 34, who starred alongside Chase as Ned Bigby on the hit Nickelodeon show, has since broken his silence after viewing the troubling video online.
He told TMZ: ‘Tylor was a sensitive, sweet, and kind kid. It is heartbreaking to see him this way.
‘I haven’t seen Tylor in almost 20 years since the show ended. Anyone who has dealt with severe addiction and deep mental health issues knows it’s an unbelievably challenging situation if they don’t want help.’
He added: ‘It’s an everyday uphill battle to course correct. It requires a ton of support and patience and time.’
Actor Devon Werkheiser has spoken of his heartbreak after Nickelodeon co-star Tylor Chase was found living homeless on the streets of Los Angeles
Chase was captured in a recent social media video after onlookers recognised the former actor sleeping rough
Werkheiser also urged members of the public to refrain from filming Chase, 36, at his most vulnerable, but admits he’s grateful that his desperate plight has been made public.
‘My only hope is that from this exposure, someone with real understanding and resources can step in, get Tylor into treatment, and help him get back on track. We all want a happy ending.’
Authorities in Riverside, California said it’s not immediately clear how long the former Nickelodeon star has been living on the streets of LA, a city currently in the midst of a homelessness crisis.
‘We do not know how long he has been experiencing homelessness,’ Riverside Police Department Public Information Officer Ryan Railsback told Daily Mail Monday. ‘During all of our interactions, he has been cordial and cooperative with our officers.’
He said that officers with the department’s Public Safety Engagement Team ‘contact him at least once a week and consistently offer a variety of resources, including assistance with temporary shelter options.’
Railsback previously told TMZ Monday that Chase, 36, has consistently declined shelter, drug or alcohol, treatment, or mental health services offered by the department’s outreach division.
Chase is not wanted for any crimes, police told TMZ.
Authorities told Daily Mail they have not been in touch with the former actor’s relatives as he remains unhoused: ‘Regarding family, I am not aware of any attempts by officers to contact relatives on his behalf.’
Chase famously played Martin Qwerly on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide in the 2000s (pictured on the show)
(L-R) Ned’s Declassified stars Lindsey Shaw, Devon Werkheiser and Daniel Curtis Lee on the red carpet in 2005
Chase was filmed looking worse for wear in Riverside this September in the viral video, which his one-time co-stars have described as ‘scary.’
Chase did not seem to be upset when police informed him of the viral video, authorities told TMZ.
On its website, the Riverside Police Department says that its Community Engagement Division ‘strives to address emerging crime trends, maintain safe school campuses, create safe parks and neighborhoods, reduce retail crime and develop working partnerships with all of our Riverside communities.’
The woman who filmed the viral clip started by asking Chase if he was on the Disney Channel.
‘Nickelodeon,’ Chase clarified, adding that he was on ‘Ned’s Declassified.’
‘Oh yeah, you’re that kid on it,’ the fan responded, as Chase told her his full name.
Chase played Martin Qwerly on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide in the 2000s (pictured)
The video sparked widespread sadness on social media – and, once Chase’s former co-stars heard about it, they also expressed their shock.
Actors Werkheiser, Daniel Curtis Lee and Lindsey Shaw addressed the news on Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide on September 24.
‘There was some bad news that I received earlier this week about our dear friend Tylor Chase. It was a lot to process for me,’ Lee said, describing the video as ‘scary.’
Lee added, ‘When I first saw, I was angry, because I was like, why put a camera on someone’s face in hard times? But then I was upset with myself because I feel powerless because there’s not much that I felt I could do.’
‘I didn’t want to believe it at first, I was like, oh they just caught him at a bad time,’ Lee added.
