Former Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen Arrested on Charges of Alleged Kidnapping, Assault

Cambridge Police Department officers arrested former Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem A. Mazen three weeks ago after he allegedly kidnapped and physically assaulted a woman in a Cambridge hotel.

CPD reported that Mazen invited a woman to “come over and chill” at a room in the East Cambridge Holiday Inn Express & Suites on April 16 before taking her cell phone and locking the two of them in the bathroom. According to the police report, Mazem is facing charges of kidnapping, witness intimidation, destruction of property, and assault and battery.

Mazen pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer, Zachary R. Barry, wrote in a statement that his client “categorically denies the allegations” levied against him.

“Mr. Mazen remains confident that a fair legal process will result in his exoneration,” Barry wrote.

Meghan Kelly, a spokesperson at the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office, confirmed in an email that the former councilor was released after his arraignment on the condition that he submit to screening for drugs and alcohol, avoid contact with the woman, and “cooperate with mental health and substance evaluation.”

At the time of the incident, the woman told police that there was cocaine and ketamine in the hotel room and that Mazen was “very high” when she arrived. Cambridge police described Mazen as agitated, “foaming at the mouth,” and paranoid at the time of his arrest. No drug-related charges have been filed against Mazen.

When the woman was able to get out of the bathroom, police wrote, she attempted to call police from a landline phone in the hotel room. Mazen allegedly threw the phone, breaking a hotel window.

The woman was able to leave the hotel room, reaching hotel staff downstairs, who called the police. When police responded to the scene, they found Mazen climbing a fence, bleeding from an open wound on his hand, with his clothes ripped.

Mazen allegedly objected to being taken to the hospital before being placed on a stretcher, where he “continued to resist and attempted to get off the stretcher multiple times.”

After repeated attempts to refuse medical care at the scene, Mazen was sedated and involuntarily admitted to a nearby hospital.

The charges represent a shocking epilogue for the former three-term councilor, whose upset election in 2013 rocked the city’s political establishment.

Mazen, who arrived in Cambridge as an undergraduate at MIT, squeaked on to the City Council in 2013 with a ninth-place finish in that year’s local elections. He ran as an unabashed progressive supporting campaign finance reform and a higher minimum wage.

In a stunning turnaround, Mazen became the council’s top vote-getter in 2015, beating out longtime incumbents like E. Denise Simmons and David P. Maher.

Mazen announced in 2017 that he would not run for re-election to the City Council, sticking to a campaign promise to serve a maximum of three terms. He announced a run for Congress soon after, joining a crowded primary to replace former Democratic congresswoman Niki Tsongas, but dropped out amid fundraising challenges.

“Throughout his career, Mr. Mazen has been known for his dedication to public service and social impact,” Barry, Mazen’s lawyer, wrote in a statement. He added that Mazen “remains committed to the values that have guided him both personally and professionally.”

Outside of politics, Mazen had established himself as an entrepreneur: He founded Nimblebot, a creative design agency headquartered in Cambridge, in the early 2000s. Mazen served as its creative director until January, according to his LinkedIn page.

One of the state’s most prominent Muslim elected officials, Mazen also founded and led Jetpac, a nonprofit aiming to support “American Muslims who wish to run for elected office,” according to the group’s website.

Mazen’s LinkedIn lists him as having departed Jetpac’s board in January 2025. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained on the group’s website as “President & Co-founder.”

—Staff writer Matan H. Josephy can be reached at matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @matanjosephy.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.