CLIFTON — Jocelyn Almonte, just 8 months old, was laid to rest at East Ridgelawn Cemetery in Clifton on Wednesday morning, only hours after her mother’s boyfriend who was accused of killing her, was captured in New York.

Jose Flores-Rivera, who fled the area after learning of the child’s death on Saturday morning, was taken into custody in Newburgh, N.Y., at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Clifton detectives with "information they developed" traveled to Newburgh with a member of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and a representative of the U.S. Marshall's office and with the help of Newburgh police, surrounded the house where Flores-Rivera was reported to be staying with friends, and took him into custody.

The fugitive had been given a small area in the attic of the home where 15 others live, said detective Capt. Robert Rowan.

"We don’t believe the people in the house were aware of what he had done," Rowan said, adding, that Flores Rivera "had already begun a new life. He had already worked two days in a construction job and we don’t think he would ever have returned to this area."

"The polygraph test and the threat of it, was very instrumental in interviewing the many friends and family members," Rowan said, adding it led to his capture.

Flores-Rivera remained in custody without bail in Newburgh, pending an extradition hearing on Wednesday. He faces charges in Passaic County of first-degree murder and endangering an injured person, Rowan said.

Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano, in a press conference held on Tuesday, said Clifton police and fire officials responded to 170 Knapp Ave., at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday in response to the mother’s 911 call where she reported that her baby was not responding.

The mother and Flores-Rivera, who had dated for about 6 months and lived on Knapp Avenue for one month, rode in the Clifton ambulance to the hospital with the baby. When Flores-Rivera learned the baby was dead, he fled, Avigliano said.

Flores-Rivera is not the father of the deceased baby, Avigliano said, adding he is not sure whether or not the baby’s father has been notified. Rowan said, as of Tuesday, the baby’s father had not yet been reached.

Rowan said the 22-year-old Flores-Rivera told his girlfriend that he needed to go outside as soon as he learned of the baby’s death, and never returned.

Clifton police questioned family and friends of the illegal immigrant from Mexico soon after the Medical Examiner’s office released autopsy findings that showed the child had died of blunt force trauma to the body. The baby’s mother, Macrida Enriquez, 27, also an illegal immigrant from Mexico, told police Flores-Rivera was the last person to hold the baby on Friday night.

Rowan said Clifton detectives who responded to the emergency call on Saturday morning treated the Knapp Avenue apartment as a crime scene as a precaution, even before finding out the results of the autopsy, "and I’m glad they did," Rowan said

"As our investigation progressed, we believed that the person responsible for the death of the infant was Flores-Rivera," Rowan said.

When asked if the baby’s mother would also be charged, the prosecutor said: "I’m not going to go further into that," adding that at present time no charges against her had been filed.

Enriquez has two other children who are now with their fathers.

"This was a terrible crime," Rowan said, calling Flores-Rivera "depraved."

He said he credits his detectives with being persistent and never giving up on the investigation even when things "looked bleak."

The following detectives were involved in the investigation, Lt. Richard Berdnik, Sgt. Robert Bracken, Carmen Bermudez, Thomas Campbell, Timothy Kaminski, Frank Loran, Samuel Rodriguez, Charles Kazimir, Joel Smith and Scott Heath from the County Prosecutor’s Office.

"They all played a role and worked very hard in this case to bring it to a successful conclusion," Rowan said.

Flores-Rivera has refused to make a statement and has asked for a lawyer.