Fugitive Caught in Stolen New Milford Car, Cops Say

A convict who fled a Newark halfway house last week was arrested Thursday morning by Bergen County Police after a short car chase, according to officials.

Alfonso Bowen, 26, was taken into custody in Lodi after Officer Jason Gretkowski saw a blue Mazda CX-9 that matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen out of New Milford just before 7 a.m.

Gretkowski chased the vehicle in his vehicle from Teterboro along Rt. 46 before stopping in Lodi, according to County Police Lt. Jim Mullin. Bowen then fled the Mazda on foot and was apprehended a short distance away without incident.

Bowen initially provided police with an alias, however police determined his actual identity and discovered he was an escaped fugitive from the NJ Department of Corrections after fleeing the Tully House facility in Newark on March 15.

According to the Department of Corrections records, Bowen has been incarcerated since January 2009 on charges including drug distribution, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and stalking.

Bowen is now facing new charges by the Bergen County Police for receiving stolen property, eluding, resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and being a fugitive from justice.

New Milford Police Department and the NJ Department of Corrections are both expected to file charges in the coming days, Mullin said.

Bowen is currently being held at the Bergen County Jail awaiting his first court appearance.