
- A New Hampshire teenager, 19, has been arrested and is facing multiple charges including negligent homicide after allegedly intentionally causing a collision with a motorcycle while driving a car under the influence, police have said
- The man driving the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Litchfield, N.H.
- A second car was involved in the incident after the driver allegedly “swerved to miss the motorcycle as it slid into her lane,” police said; she was treated for minor injuries on-site and released
A New Hampshire teenager, 19, has been accused of driving under the influence before allegedly intentionally causing a fatal collision with a motorcycle, police have said.
On Wednesday, April 30 at approximately 9:17 p.m. local time, authorities responded to reports of a motor vehicle crash “on Route 102, between Cutler Road and Woodburn Road” in Litchfield, N.H., the Litchfield Police Department said in a press release shared with PEOPLE on May 2.
“Upon arrival, officers located a Toyota Corolla and a Mitsubishi Outlander involved in a head-on collision. Nearby, a motorcycle was found in the woodline, and an adult male, wearing a helmet, was discovered unresponsive on the shoulder of the road,” police stated, adding that the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the victim as Jeffrey Day, 57.
The driver of the Toyota — identified as John Burke — has been arrested, police said in the initial post, adding that a further investigation revealed he was “allegedly driving under the influence at the time of the incident.”
Litchfield Fire Rescue/Facebook
“An investigation led by the Litchfield Police Department, in collaboration with the New Hampshire State Police (NHSP) Detectives and the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit (CAR), determined that the collision between the Toyota and the motorcycle was intentional, based on witness statements and physical evidence,” police added.
The release stated, “The subsequent crash involving the Mitsubishi was not believed to be intentional, but occurred as the driver of the Mitsubishi swerved to miss the motorcycle as it slid into her lane.”
Burke has been charged with the following offenses: Negligent Homicide; Manslaughter – Reckless; First Degree Assault with a Deadly Weapon; Aggravated DUI – Serious Bodily Injury; Reckless Conduct – Deadly Weapon; Witness Tampering; and Vehicular Assault.
Litchfield Fire Rescue/Facebook
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The suspect was arraigned at Merrimack District Court on Thursday, May 1, police said in the release.
“The driver of the Mitsubishi was treated for minor injuries on-site and released. The driver of the Toyota, later identified as Burke, was transported to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and treated for minor injuries,” police said.
Litchfield Fire Rescue shared multiple images of the incident on Facebook, writing that “Derry Road was closed in both directions for hours while police investigated the accident.”