DOVER, N.H. — An 18-year-old driver from Connecticut was arrested after leading authorities on a high-speed, nearly 30-mile pursuit this week, state police said Friday.
Thomas C. Smart, 18, of Goshen, Connecticut, was charged with felony reckless conduct and misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and disobeying a police officer, state police said. He was not hurt during the crash and has remained in preventative detention since his arrest. A passenger, who has not been charged, was also uninjured.
“During the pursuit, the driver drove recklessly at speeds as high as 137 mph,” state police said.
At 8:34 p.m. Monday, troopers attempted to stop the driver of a black 2013 BMW 335xi, later identified as Smart, for speeding on Route 16 northbound in Dover, state police said.
The BMW was initially seen traveling 95 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. Instead of slowing down and pulling over, however, Smart sped up and “drove in an increasingly dangerous manner,” state police said.
State police pursued the BMW for nearly 30 miles and approximately 15 minutes.
Troopers coordinated with local police to deploy a tire deflation device to stop Smart.
Shortly after hitting the device, Smart attempted a sudden turn and lost control of the BMW, which ultimately ended up in a ditch.
Wakefield Police and Fire, Rochester Police, and Milton Police assisted troopers during the pursuit.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact Trooper William Bohnenberger at William.F.Bohnenberger@dos.nh.gov.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
