Neighbors of man who allegedly kept woman hostage say he was ‘menace’ who lured young girls into his home

Former neighbors of a “con man” who allegedly sexually assaulted and kept a woman hostage inside a makeshift cinder block cell say he was a “neighborhood menace” who threatened residents and lured young girls to live with him.

Those who lived near Negasi Zuberi in a quiet suburb in Vancouver, Wash., told The Post he made money renting out rooms and beds inside a two-story townhome which he pretended to own.

They also said Zuberi, a married father of two, would bring “prostitutes and weirdos” there at all hours of the night.

One neighbor, who only wanted to be referred to as “Danny,” said he recalled seeing one young woman shivering and crying outside the home in December 2022 after she had a blowout argument with Zuberi.

“I went up to her and offered her hot tea and some soup because it was freezing,” Danny said. “She told me [Zuberi] took her keys and cell [phone], and when I asked her if she wanted me to call the police, she said, ‘No, I don’t want to get in trouble with him. It’s not worth it! He’s crazy!’”

Zuberi, 29, was arrested on July 16 for allegedly sexually assaulting a sex worker he had abducted and restrained in Seattle then drove back to his home about 450 miles away in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

At a Wednesday press conference, FBI officials said the woman, who was chained in the cell, was able to escape by beating down the door of the cinder block room Zuberi had built in his garage.

Former neighbors who heard about Zuberi’s arrest said that while they were shocked at the allegations, many had their own volatile run-ins with him.

Another neighbor who did not want to be named filed a restraining order against Zuberi in March after he allegedly sent a threatening text message saying, “I’m going to f— you up.”

Zuberi became belligerent after the neighbor would approach him about his large RV parked in front of the house — a violation of the neighborhood’s HOA rules — adding Zuberi got more agitated when he was confronted about the trash piling up on the property.

“It was a nightmare,” the neighbor told The Post. “He had pit bulls running around and random people coming in and out of the house. The cops showed up a bunch of times and I never knew what he was going to be up to. 

“I just didn’t feel good about him, so after he threatened me, I filed a restraining order because I have a wife and child to protect. I didn’t sleep very well for about six months because of all of the activity that was happening.”

Danny said Zuberi also threatened him after being confronted for driving drunk and backing into the neighbor’s trash cans. 

“Obviously I came out and told him to go back to his house and to get off my property, but he started threatening me and took off his shirt,” Danny said. “He yelled at me and got in my face. That’s when I thought he was truly crazy and something was wrong with him. I knew he was capable of doing some crazy stuff.”

Prentice Gerald, who rented a room from Zuberi, said he seemed nervous and paranoid when police were around or even mentioned.

Gerald said he connected with Zuberi after answering an ad Gerald posted on Facebook Marketplace for a room for rent.

Gerald said he only became aware Zuberi was not the owner of the home once the true owner started an eviction process against Zuberi.

During the six months he stayed at the four-bedroom townhouse, Gerald said he heard fights between Zuberi and the mother of his two young children.

He moved out in November.

“They fought a lot, but it seemed like run-of-the-mill arguments between couples,” Gerald said. “But when I saw him on the news, I thought it was unbelievable. He didn’t strike me as the type of person who would be capable of such a thing. He seemed smart and told me he was an entrepreneur.”

On his LinkedIn page, Zuberi referred to himself as “Sakima”— one of his aliases— and claimed he owned a business called Forty 3. He claims he attended Klamath Community College where he studied cyber security.

Neighbors said Zuberi would use Facebook, Craigslist, and other social media platforms to lie to unknowing renters who believed he owned the Vancouver home.

In a Facebook post from Oct. 27, 2021, Zuberi wrote: “If you contacted me about a room, I don’t have any of the messages. Facebook deleted my post for some reason. You must inquire again.”

Authorities didn’t reveal much about Zuberi’s background but said he lived in at least 10 states since 2016.

He has since been linked to violent assaults in at least four states, prompting FBI officials to implore for the public’s help to identify more potential victims.

The FBI said Zuberi targeted sex workers or roommates in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada between August 2016 and July 2023. 

Zuberi was reportedly with his wife and one of his children when he was arrested in Reno, Nev., after a tense standoff with police.

The Post spoke to Zuberi’s father-in-law, who didn’t want to be identified.

He said he hadn’t seen his daughter “in a while,” but doubted the two were legally married.

“I saw what he is accused of and it was shocking to see his picture on the news in that context,” he told The Post. “I don’t know what he was doing to generate income because I never saw him have a job. 

“On the very rare occasions when I did see him, he only had a couple of words to say. We just didn’t talk because he didn’t seem to have much interest in talking to us.”

In court documents unsealed Wednesday, investigators said Zuberi posed as an undercover cop before he abducted the sex worker in Seattle on July 15 and took her back to his home in Klamath Falls.

Investigators found notes allegedly penned by Zuberi that detailed a diabolical “Operation Takeover” plan, including details on how to dig a 100-foot-deep concrete block cell with foam insulation.

Zuberi’s former neighbor, Danny, said the sickening allegations make him think back on the times he saw women coming in and out of the home Zuberi had rented in Vancouver.

He said he is haunted by the image of the crying young woman he spoke to that cold December night in 2022.

“I’m thinking of moving out of the area because I really don’t want to keep looking at that house,” he said. “Just thinking about the type of person he was and what he could’ve done inside of that house… it’s heartbreaking.

“I think about that girl and sometimes I wish I could’ve done something else to help her. I wish I looked inside that garage because who knows what else he had in there.”