Police: Driver dies in Portsmouth crash after pursuit
PORTSMOUTH — A driver died Thursday following a single-vehicle crash off Ocean Road after fleeing from county sheriff's deputies minutes beforehand, according to New Hampshire State Police.
The name of the driver was not immediately released, pending positive identification, police said.
At around 4:47 p.m., deputies from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office located a car on Route 101 in Hampton that had sustained damage to its front and also had an expired inspection sticker, according to police. Deputies had attempted to stop the vehicle, a gray Nissan Sentra, on Route 27, but it fled from authorities and headed northbound on Route 1 in Hampton, prompting the sheriff 's office to issue a vehicle lookout notice to other local agencies.
“Minutes later, an officer from the Greenland Police Department observed the vehicle on Post Road,” state police stated in a press release. “The Greenland police officer activated his emergency lights but due to the Sentra's high rate of speed and erratic driving, the Greenland police officer lost sight of the vehicle on Post Road.”
According to state police, the Nissan Sentra turned right onto Route 33 and then turned onto Ocean Road. Driving at a high rate of speed, police said the car lost control and exited the right side of the roadway into the woods near the area of 424 Ocean Road in Portsmouth.
The driver was pronounced deceased after being transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The driver's identity is not being released, pending positive identification.
No other vehicles or individuals were involved in the crash, according to state police. The Portsmouth Police Department called the state police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit to the scene.
The city of Portsmouth announced Thursday night Ocean Road was closed until further notice, then reopened the roadway approximately two hours afterward.
State police are continuing to investigate. The agency asks anyone who witnessed the crash, or has any information related to the incident, to contact Trooper First Class Nathaniel Goodwin at (603) 545-4288 or by email at Nathaniel.D.Goodwin@dos.nh.gov.