Fugitive In Fatal Bergen County Bar Stabbing Captured After Making FBI List

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A man wanted in a fatal stabbing in a Bergen County bar in 2024 has been captured, officials said.

Ricky "Angel" Vargas, 37, was arrested in Texas on Thursday in connection with the death of Richard Francheschi, 31, of Hawthorne on Feb. 4, 2024.

Hawthorne was stabbed around 12:44 a.m. at JoJo's Bar & Grill in Garfield, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office had said in March 2024.

Four men were soon arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing, but a fifth — Vargas — remained at large, with prosecutors saying he was "armed and dangerous."

On March 12 of last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation added Vargas, a native of East Stroudsburg, Pa., to their Most Wanted list. They offered a $15,000 reward and said he was a known member of the "Latin Kings" gang.

Last Wednesday, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit determined that Vargas might be hiding in a home in Longview, Texas.

On Thursday, the FBI, along with police officers from Dallas and Longview, arrested Vargas at a private home, prosecutors said.

He was arrested for first-degree murder, endangering an injured victim, and weapons charges.

He's being held at the Gregg County Jail in Longview to await extradition to Bergen County, officials said.

A fundraiser for the victim amassed more than $3,000.