Node.js npm run dev throws missing module error - node.js

Question

I'm running ubuntu on Virtual Machine on a windows computer; I have node.js and npm installed globally (node version 10.6.0; npm version 6.4.1). I cloned a React app from our internal bitbucket repo, checked out to a branch and created a new branch from that; the app is supposed to run by 'npm run dev' but when I try to run it, I get the following error:
internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:583
throw err;
^
Error: Cannot find module 'braces'
When I install module 'braces', and try 'npm run dev' it gives missing module of some other module and so on. I was told by one of the developers that I need to be running npm locally and not globally (which is how I have it in my case); I tried uninstalling node.js and npm but the system won't uninstall it. Do i need to do the uninstall from root (by doing sudo -i, going to root and uninstalling)? Also, I need node.js version 10.6.0 and npm version 6.4.1 which is needed to run my other node.js/graphQL APIs - how do I make sure that I install those exact versions, after uninstalling node.js and npm from root?
Following is debug info from debug log:
1 verbose cli [ '/usr/local/bin/node', '/usr/local/bin/npm', 'run', 'dev'
]
2 info using npm#6.4.1
3 info using node#v10.6.0
4 verbose run-script [ 'predev', 'dev', 'postdev' ]
5 info lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~predev: abcms#1.0.2
6 info lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: abcms#1.0.2
7 verbose lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: unsafe-perm in lifecycle true
8 verbose lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: PATH:
/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npm-lifecycle/node-gyp-
bin:/home/usname123/Documents/DEV/uppperFolder/
abcms/node_modules/.bin:/home/rv7
94a/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/bin/js:/home/usname123/.local/
bin:/home/usn
ame123/bin:/home/usname123/.local/bin:/var/opt/SoapUI-
5.2.1/bin:/var/opt/java/jdk1.8.0_77/bin:/usr/
local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin
:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin
9 verbose lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: CWD:
/home/rv794a/Documents/DEV/upperFolder/abcms
10 silly lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: Args:
[ '-c', 'webpack-dev-server --
mode development --open' ]
11 silly lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: Returned: code: 1 signal: null
12 info lifecycle abcms#1.0.2~dev: Failed to exec dev script
13 verbose stack Error: abcms#1.0.2 dev: `webpack-dev-server --mode
development --open`
13 verbose stack Exit status 1
13 verbose stack at EventEmitter.<anonymous>
(/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npm-
lifecycle/index.js:301:16)
13 verbose stack at EventEmitter.emit (events.js:182:13)
13 verbose stack at ChildProcess.<anonymous>
(/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/npm-
lifecycle/lib/spawn.js:55:14)
13 verbose stack at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:182:13)
13 verbose stack at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:961:16)
13 verbose stack at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit
(internal/child_process.js:248:5)
14 verbose pkgid abcms#1.0.2
15 verbose cwd /home/usname123/Documents/DEV/upperFolder/abcms
16 verbose Linux 4.4.0-159-generic
17 verbose argv "/usr/local/bin/node" "/usr/local/bin/npm" "run" "dev"
18 verbose node v10.6.0
19 verbose npm v6.4.1
20 error code ELIFECYCLE
21 error errno 1
22 error abcms#1.0.2 dev: `webpack-dev-server --mode development --open`
22 error Exit status 1
23 error Failed at the abcms#1.0.2 dev script.
23 error This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely
additional logging output above.
24 verbose exit [ 1, true ]