Cumberland business owner arrested boarding flight, was wanted on sexual assault, strangulation charges

CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WLNE) — Police arrested the co-owner of a Cumberland restaurant wanted on sexual assault and domestic assault charges as he was set to board an international flight, according to the Cumberland Police Department.

Assad Awan, 27, of East Longmeadow, Mass., was arrested by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police at JFK International Airport in New York on July 11.

He was brought back to Rhode Island last weekend by the Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs, was arraigned and held without bail at the ACI.

Awan, part owner of Anis Pizza and Seafood on High Street in Cumberland, was wanted on various charges, including two counts of first-degree domestic sexual assault, two counts of domestic assault by strangulation, two counts of domestic simple assault/battery and two counts of domestic disorderly conduct.

The victim was a juvenile at the time of the incidents earlier in 2025 and was known to Awan, according to Cumberland police.