Five men have been charged with the fatal stabbing of a man at a bar in northeast New Jersey last month, and while four have been arrested, one remains at large, authorities said Tuesday.
The incident occurred in Garfield in the early hours of Feb 4. Upon responding to reports of a possible stabbing at JoJo’s Bar & Grill, police located a male victim with “multiple stab wounds to his chest.”
The victim, later identified as 31-year-old Richard Franceschi of Hawthorne, N.J., was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 1:29 a.m., according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
An investigation concluded that five men were “responsible for physically assaulting and stabbing Franceschi numerous times with a knife.”
Four of them have since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other crimes.
A fifth suspect, Ricky “Angel” Vargas, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., remains at large, Musella said Tuesday.
The 26-year-old, who police said had a knife at the time of the assault, is “considered armed and dangerous.” Authorities are now asking for the public’s help in locating him.
The four suspects who have already been arrested in connection with the stabbing are Jayson Rivera, 23, of East Stroudsburg, Pa.; Bryant Sanchez, 26, of Paterson, N.J.; Erony Sanchez, 27, of Clifton, N.J.; and Dante Moore, 23, of Passaic. N.J.
Moore and Erony Sanchez were arrested in Passaic on Feb. 24, while Bryant Sanchez was taken into custody in Ogdensburg that same day.
All three were charged with first-degree murder and other crimes, and are currently detained at Bergen County Jail.
Rivera, who investigators said had a firearm during the Feb. 4 incident, was arrested in Garfield on March 12.
He was also charged with first-degree murder and other crimes, including second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He’s currently awaiting a detention hearing.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Vargas is asked to contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at 201-226-5532.
