A woman who escaped a cinderblock cell in a man's garage in Klamath Falls, Or., was abducted hundreds of miles away last month in Seattle. Authorities are looking for more of his possible victims across multiple states. Negasi Zuberi, 29, of Klamath Falls, posed as an undercover police officer and kidnapped the woman in the early morning hours July 15, then shackled, sexually assaulted her and locked her up, USA Today reports. He was arrested and federally charged with interstate kidnapping, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Lichvarcik said. Zuberi has been linked to sexual assaults in at least four more states. He's lived in multiple states since 2016, possibly including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada, the FBI said.
The victim in Klamath Falls, who wasn't identified, "briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape," said a criminal complaint. The "makeshift" cell was made of cinderblocks and a metal door that had been installed backwards so it couldn't be opened from the inside. There was also an exterior door, and the cell had been built to be soundproof. The woman banged against the door, bloodying and bruising her hands, until she managed to open it. According to Klamath Falls Police Captain Rob Reynolds, the victim was able to break welds on the door, rip a metal screen off of it, and crawl out. She had lacerations on her knuckles from punching the door and walls. She then retrieved a gun that belonged to Zuberi and escaped. She climbed over a fence and flagged down a driver who called 911.