Deejay Vanish Riddle

By KATI CORNELL

A deejay well known in Chelsea's gay club scene has vanished without a trace, leaving cops scrambling for clues.

The last confirmed sighting of James "DJ Jimmy" Moyer, 53, was at Splash Bar -- a West 17th Street club that advertises "NYC's Biggest Men Seeking Men Party" -- as he left work on Sept. 27.

The night was a success for Moyer, who struggled to break into the music business after a career in computer programming. But when club management called to offer him a regular weekly gig, he never responded.

Moyer stopped returning calls and e-mails after Oct. 1 and failed to pay his rent for the Rutherford, NJ, apartment where he's lived for nearly 20 years.

'DJ JIMMY' MOYER Was deep in debt.

One tipster, who would not give his name, reported seeing Moyer at Rawhide Bar on Eighth Avenue the morning of Oct. 3. "He was pretty inebriated," said the tipster, who claimed to recognize Moyer from a flier.

Friends described Moyer as a homebody and a devoted son. But they said Moyer had fallen deep into debt -- with more than $100,000 in cash advances on his credit cards -- and had recently hit up a relative for several large loans.

"Was it of his own volition? Was there foul play involved? We don't know," said Moyer's ex-boyfriend, Richard Duda.

A search of Moyer's tidy apartment and recording studio revealed little.

"It was almost eerie," said longtime friend Diana Bittern, who accompanied cops to the apartment building, where Moyer's car sat parked outside.

The place "was absolutely spotless," Bittern said. "There was food in the refrigerator. It didn't appear he was preparing to be gone a long time."

The Rutherford Police Department has posted fliers around Chelsea's nightspots and asked that anyone with information call Detective Mike Garner at (201) 939-6000.