‘Most Wanted’ Man with New Bedford Ties Captured in New Jersey

BOSTON — A man with ties to the SouthCoast has been captured after being placed on the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Massachusetts State Police say Stephen Cote, 47, was arrested Thursday afternoon as he got out of his vehicle at the Westgate apartment complex in Lakewood, New Jersey. The arrest was made by New Jersey officers after Massachusetts State Police and U.S. Marshals developed information that Cote was hiding in Lakewood.

Cote was wanted by Massachusetts State Police, the Northampton Police Department, and federal law enforcement for receipt of material involving sexual exploitation of minors. An arrest warrant for Cote was obtained in 2015 after police learned that he was in possession of child pornography. Cote has eluded police ever since.

Cote will be arraigned in federal court at a later date.

When he was placed on the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted Fugitives list in June, police indicated that Cote has ties to Fall River, New Bedford, and other SouthCoast communities.