Arrest of fugitive wanted in multiple states leads to discovery of woman being held captive in Connecticut

Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant on May 1, 2025

Published in Women

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HARTFORD, Conn. — A man wanted as a fugitive on attempted murder and other charges in multiple states and suspected in two stabbings in Connecticut was arrested on Wednesday in Bridgeport where police alleged that he was armed and holding a woman captive.

Nicholas Allwood, 27, was taken into custody after he allegedly chased a 35-year-old woman with a knife as she escaped from a house on Gregory Street around 1:30 p.m., according to the Bridgeport Police Department.

Police had been searching for Allwood for a week and believed he was hiding in the home. Authorities were preparing to enter the residence and did not know that the woman was being held hostage, according to police. She was not injured.

Officers were able to wrestle the knife away from Allwood without anyone being hurt. He was arrested on charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault, carrying a dangerous weapon, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree threatening, assault on a public safety officer and possession of narcotics with intent to sell.

According to police, Allwood is a suspect in a serious stabbing that occurred about two hours before his arrest several blocks away on Hanover Street. He is also the suspect in a stabbing that was reported on State Street several weeks prior, police said. Those incidents remain under investigation. Police said the department’s Homicide Unit is in the process of preparing arrest warrants.

Allwood has several extraditable felony warrants from numerous states, including one charging him with attempted murder out of New York,, according to police. He also has a federal warrant issued by the U.S. Marshals Service charging him with felon in possession of a weapon and is wanted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s New York Field Office.

Allwood was also charged with four counts of being a fugitive from justice, police said. He was held on bonds totaling $1.25 million and was expected to face a judge on Thursday.

According to police, Allwood often goes by the street name “Hawthead” and has an extensive criminal record. He was allegedly using an alias in Bridgeport to avoid apprehension. Police said they had been trying to find him for about a week.

“On Wednesday, that effort was met with success, and possibly saved a life,” the department said in a statement.

The operation to find and apprehend Allwood involved the department’s Homicide Unit, Patrol Division, Tactical Narcotics Unit and Bridgeport Police Task Force Officers, as well as Connecticut State Police and the FBI Task Force.

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