A man is in federal custody for allegedly kidnapping a woman, sexually assaulting her and holding her captive in Oregon. The FBI believes he is responsible for sexually assaulting several others, and there is concern that there could be even more victims because the suspect lived in a number of states.
Negasi Zuberi, 29, has been linked to at least four sexual assaults in four of the 10 states where he has lived during the last decade, according to the FBI. They did not say what part of the state he was in and the time period when he was a resident.
If it wasn’t for the bravery of his latest victim, authorities do not believe he would be in custody.
On July 15, Zuberi left his home in Klamath Falls, Oregon and traveled to Seattle, Washington, where he solicited a sex worker, according to court records.
Zuberi impersonated a police officer and threatened the woman with a Taser. He placed her in handcuffs and leg irons and put her in the back seat of his car, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon. He drove 450 miles back to Oregon, sexually assaulting her along the way.
Back at his home, Zuberi locked the woman in a makeshift cinder block cell in his garage, police said.
The woman “briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape,” the complaint says.
“He had actually locked her in there for a couple hours, at least, until she realized she needed to get out of that residence because her life was in danger,” Klamath Falls Police Chief Rob Reynolds said in a news conference on Wednesday.
She managed to break some of the door’s welded joints and create a small opening, which she climbed through, he said.
“The woman fought for her life, beating the doors and walls of the cell with bloodied hands,” said Stephanie Shark, the special agent in charge of the FBI Portland Office.
The victim opened Zuberi’s vehicle, which was in the garage, grabbed his gun, and fled, leaving blood on a wooden fence she climbed over to escape, the complaint says.
“Through her perseverance, she broke free and waved down a passing motorist, asking for their help to call 911,” said Shark.
Police obtained a warrant to search Zuberi’s home, where they found the cell that the victim described to them.
He had fled to Reno, Nevada, where police arrested him on July 16 — though after a brief standoff. Two Nevada State Patrol officers tracked him down at a Walmart parking lot. He was in his car holding one of his children in the front seat while talking to his wife, who was standing outside the vehicle. He initially refused to get out of the car when the officers asked and instead cut himself with a sharp object and tried to destroy his phone, according to the complaint. Zuberi eventually surrendered, and the child wasn’t harmed.
Investigators interviewed Zuberi’s wife and neighbors, but authorities declined to say if there was any indication that any of them had been aware of the abduction.
Along with Oregon and New Jersey, the FBI said Zuberi has lived in California, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, Alabama, and Nevada since August 2016.
Victims may know Zuberi by the aliases Sakima, Justin Hyche, or Justin Kouassi, according to the FBI. He has used a number of methods to gain control of his victims, including drugging their drinks and pretending to be a cop. He has also threatened victims with retaliation if they go to the police, investigators said.
Zuberi faces federal charges that include interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.
Court records did not yet list an attorney who might speak on Zuberi’s behalf. He has not yet been assigned a public defender in Oregon as he’s still being transferred from Nevada, which can take several weeks, said Kevin Sonoff, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Oregon.
Potential victims and anyone with information about Zuberi can go to fbi.gov/zuberivictims or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Tips can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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