Shraman Mitra
Although the world of social media influencers appears shiny to people looking in from the outside, numerous sinister secrets are hiding away in its dark corners. Hulu’s ‘Age of Influence’ attempts to shine a spotlight on these secrets by investigating some major scams and scandals that have affected social media influencers in recent years. Likewise, the show chronicles how Wayne, New Jersey, resident Amjad Mashal was kidnapped by an Instagram influencer called Mazini and even takes viewers through the aftermath of the incident. Well, let’s delve into the details and find out where Amjad Mashal is at present, shall we?
Who is Amjad Mashal?
Amjad Mashal was a resident of Wayne, New Jersey, who lived a quiet life on his own. People who know him mentioned that even though Amjad mostly kept to himself, he was always ready to help others in need and maintained a friendly relationship with most. In fact, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, and Amjad’s neighbors had no complaints against him. Moreover, like most people, Amjad liked sharing his views online, but he had no idea that it would ultimately put his life in danger.
Reports mention that the issue started when Amjad started following a social media influencer called Jebara Igbarra, who went by the name Mazini on Instagram. While Mazinim, who lived in Edgewater, New Jersey, had become famous for distributing cash to people on the streets at random, he got into trouble when the FBI accused him of running a scam through which he promised worthless wire transfers to his followers before swindling about $2 million in Bitcoin from them. Naturally, the charge led to him losing numerous followers overnight, and Mazini was even considering a career switch.
When Amjad learned of the charges against Mazini, he took to social media and began trashing the Instagram influencer. In fact, sources claim that Amjad had put up numerous posts against Mazini, and some even started getting quite a bit of traction. Worried about his diminishing reputation, Mazini eventually took matters into his own hand and reached out to Amjad. However, while Mazini initially claimed he wanted to talk things out over coffee, Amjad was forced into a 2020 Land Rover once he reached the meeting spot on March 15, 2021.
Suspicious of Mazini’s intentions, Amjad somehow escaped from the vehicle and fled in his own car. Still, the men managed to chase him down and shoved him into the SUV again before reportedly stripping him naked. The kidnappers then held a machete to his throat and asked him to remove all negative posts against Mazini. They also threatened to end Amjad’s life and upload the video of the kidnapping on social media if he did not follow orders. Subsequently, the kidnapping victim was dropped off in Passaic, and Amjad later claimed he had to get treated for several bruises, including a swollen eye, an ankle injury, and a concussion.
Amjad Mashal is Serving Time in New Jersey Jail Now
The investigation into Amjad’s kidnapping was swift, and the police arrested Mazini just a couple of days after the incident. Moreover, authorities also rounded up his wife, Joumana Danoun, and a Clifton businessman named Bassam Patrick Aljanadi for their role in the crime. Yet, as fate would have it, law enforcement officials soon discovered that Amjad had accepted a $100,000 bribe from one of the defendants in exchange for a fabricated statement. Once detectives realized that the fabricated statement would help the defendant in question walk free, they brought out a warrant against Amjad and arrested him for bribery. Furthermore, during the arrest, authorities found drugs in the kidnapping victim’s possession, which led to an additional drug charge.
From the looks of it, Amjad has since been convicted of the aforecited bribery charges as well as an additional weapons charge, which has netted him some time behind bars in a local prison. In fact, from what we can tell, he remains incarcerated at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, at the moment, although there is no mention of a tentative release date.
Read More: Jay Mazini: Where is the Instagram Influencer Now?
