By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Bergen County announced the arrest of a fugitive wanted in connection with a deadly 2024 stabbing homicide in Garfield.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, 37-year-old Ricky “Angel” Vargas of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was captured Thursday, May 7, in Longview, Texas, following a multi-agency investigation led by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department.
The arrest stems from the fatal stabbing of Richard Franceschi, 31, of Hawthorne, on February 4, 2024, in Garfield.
Officials said Garfield police officers were dispatched to Monroe Street shortly before 1 a.m. after receiving reports of a stabbing.
Upon arrival, officers found Franceschi suffering from multiple stab wounds to the chest.
Franceschi was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
A joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Garfield police revealed that Vargas, along with Dante Moore, Jayson Rivera, Bryant Sanchez, and Erony Sanchez, were allegedly involved in the altercation that led to the homicide.
Authorities previously arrested the other four suspects in 2024; however, Vargas remained at large and was considered a fugitive.
In March 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation added Vargas to its Most Wanted list and secured a federal unlawful flight warrant.
Officials said detectives developed new information on May 6 regarding Vargas’ possible location. Within hours, investigators and FBI agents traced him to a residence in Longview, Texas.
With assistance from the FBI, the Dallas Police Department, and the Longview Police Department, Vargas was taken into custody without incident.
Vargas is charged with first-degree murder, weapons offenses, and endangering an injured victim. He is currently being held at the Gregg County Jail pending extradition to New Jersey.