Ted Bundy was initially caught in 1975 after a routine traffic stop in Utah by Sergeant Bob Hayward, who noticed Bundy driving a stolen car and found suspicious items in his vehicle, including handcuffs, a ski mask, and a crowbar. Bundy was arrested for evading an officer but released on bond. Crucially, a surviving victim, Carol DaRonch, identified him as her abductor, which led to his conviction for kidnapping. After escaping custody twice in 1977 and committing further murders in Florida, Bundy was finally caught in 1978 when he was stopped while driving a stolen car near Pensacola, Florida. Despite assuming a false identity initially, his fingerprints linked him to previous crimes, leading to his arrest as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

Summary of key moments in his capture from Reddit and other sources:

• Traffic stop in Utah in 1975 led to discovery of incriminating items.
• Identification by kidnapping survivor Carol DaRonch.
• Escapes and continued killings.
• Final arrest in Florida in 1978 while driving a stolen vehicle.
• Fingerprints matched Bundy to multiple crimes across states.

This is how Ted Bundy was caught, with a combination of investigative persistence, surviving witness identification, and a routine police stop culminating in his capture.