A woman miraculously escaped a cinder block cell where she was being held captive in a rental home owned by a small-town Oregon mayor after she was kidnapped by a man posing as an undercover cop in Seattle.
Once the woman broke down the door with her bloodied hands to escape, the suspect, Negasi Zuberi, 29, fled the rental home in Klamath Falls to Reno, Nevada where he was arrested by state police a day later, on July 16.
The FBI released photos of the makeshift cinderblock cell in Klamath Falls home where the victim had been held captive.
‘She beat the door with her hands until they were bloody in order to break free,’ Klamath Police Captain Rob Reynolds said at a press conference Wednesday.
‘Her quick-thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare.’
A woman, who has not been identified, miraculously escaped a cinder block cell after she was kidnapped in Seattle by a man posing as an undercover cop and driven more than seven hours away
After being placed in this cell, the victim ‘briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape’. She started punching the metal door and broke some of its welded joints, creating a small opening which she climbed through
Negasi Zuberi, 29, fled the rental home in Klamath Falls to Reno, Nevada where he was arrested by state police a day later, on July 16. Authorities are now probing whether he may have attacked other women in at least 10 other states
On July 15, Zuberi allegedly traveled from the Klamath Falls home to Seattle where he solicited the woman for prostitution along Aurora Ave – a known area for prostitution, according to court documents.
The woman told cops that Zuberi told her he was an undercover cop before he showed her a badge, pointed a stun gun at her, and placed in the backseat of his car while she was handcuffed and she was placed in leg irons.
He than drove about seven hours to his home in Klamath Falls, stopping only to sexually assault her along the way.
When they arrived, Zuberi put her in a makeshift cell he had built in his garage — a cinder block cell with a door of metal bars — and said he was leaving to do paperwork.
The woman ‘briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape,’ according to court documents.
She started punching the metal door and broke some of its welded joints, creating a small opening which she climbed through.
The victim saw Zuberi’s vehicle parked in the garage, opened it, grabbed his gun and then took off, leaving blood on a wooden fence she climbed over to escape, the complaint says. She flagged down a passing driver, who called 911.
According to the compaint, investigators interviewed Zuberi’s wife and neighbors. They would not say if there was any indication that any of htem havd been aware of the Seattle woman’s abduction.
However, when Zuberi was arrested by Nevada State Patrol officers in a Walmart parking lot the day after he fled, he was with his wife and at least one of his children. It is unclear how many children he has.
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When he was approached by the officers, he refused to exit his car, started cutting himself with a sharp object and tried to destroy his phone.
The suspect, 29-year-old, Negasi Zuberi, who is linked to violent attacks in at least four other states and posed as an undercover cop, has been arrested by police in Reno, Nevada
Klamath Falls Police Capt. Rob Reynolds speaks at a press conference at the FBI Portland field office in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, August 2
Stephanie Shark, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland field office, speaks at a press conference in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday
Investigators said that when they searched Zuberi’s home and garage, they found the makeshift cell, the woman’s purse and handwritten notes.
One of the notes was titled ‘Operation Take Over,’ and included a bulletpoint list with entries that read ‘Leave phone at home’ and ‘Make sure they don´t have a bunch of ppl (sic) in their life. You don’t want any type of investigation.’
Another handwritten document appeared to include a rough sketch for an underground structure using concrete blocks, foam insulation and waterproof concrete.
The FBI is now probing whether Zuberi may have had any other victims.
They are also investigating whether he may have used other methods of gaining control of women, including drugging their drinks. The agency said it was setting up a website asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim to come forward.
According to the FBI, Zuberi also went by the names Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi, and he has lived in multiple states since 2016, possibly including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada.
An FBI flag and a seeking information posterboard displaying photos of suspect Negazi Zuberi are set up next to a podium ahead of a press conference at the FBI field office in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday
The Klamath Falls rental home where Zuberi allegedly took the woman is owned by the city’s mayor, Carol Westfall, and her husband, Kevin, according to property records. The house backs onto a park and is on a residential street, less than a quarter-mile from a highway.
Court records show that after Zuberi’s arrest, the couple had him evicted.
‘We are shocked and dismayed by what has occurred,’ the Westfalls said in an email to the Associated Press.
‘We applaud the actions of the woman who helped capture this person and prevent him from committing further atrocities.’
The Westfalls also praised local, state and federal law enforcement for their work on the case. They declined to respond to queries about their interactions with Zuberi.
