Seattle woman escapes makeshift cell of cinder blocks in Oregon, police suspect more victims

A Seattle woman bravely escaped a makeshift prison cell made up of cinder blocks in an Oregon home, where she was being sexually abused, according to a federal affidavit unsealed on Wednesday. 

Ngasi Zuberi, also known as Justin Joshua Hyche, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping across state lines. Zuberi, 29, has lived in at least ten different states since 2016 and has been linked to violent assaults in four different states. 

Most recently, a woman from Seattle claimed to have escaped Zuberi’s home in Klamath Falls, Oregon, according to a news release from the FBI. The woman claimed she was sexually assaulted.

On July 15, Zuberi traveled to Seattle, where he posed as an undercover police officer to request the services of a prostitute. After meeting with the victim, Zuberi pointed a Taser at her and placed her in handcuffs. 

“Zuberi told the victim she was under arrest,” the Klamath Falls Police Department said in a news release. “The victim reported Zuberi had a firearm, police patches, a taser, and other law enforcement equipment.”

He drove the woman back to his home in Oregon, more than 450 miles away. Throughout the trip, however, Zuberi stopped the car and sexually assaulted the woman. It was during the drive that the woman realized that “Zuberi was not a police officer and that she was being kidnapped.”

When they arrived at his home, Zuberi placed the woman in “a makeshift cell he had constructed in his garage,” which was made out of cinder blocks. 

“The victim said she knew Zuberi would kill her if she stayed in the room,” police said.

“The victim began punching the security screen door. The victim was able to break the welds on the screen door and pull the metal screen material down. The victim then climbed through a small opening in the door and escaped.”

After escaping, the woman flagged down a local motorist, who called 911. Detectives then tracked Zuberi and were able to locate him a few hours later in Reno, Nevada, where he was arrested. 

On July 16, police obtained a warrant to search his home, where they located the makeshift cell and the victim’s purse, according to the affidavit. 

Given Zuberi’s track record, the FBI believes that there could be several other victims of kidnapping and sexual assaults. The agency believes Zuberi targeted sex workers in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and Alabama between August 2016 and July 2023. 

“We are fortunate that this brave woman escaped and alerted authorities,” Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Shark said in the release. “While she may have helped protect future victims, sadly we have now linked Zuberi to several violent assaults in at least four states and we believe there may be many more.”