CANTERBURY, N.H. — A 20-year-old Massachusetts man was killed early Sunday morning following a high-speed police pursuit that ended in a fatal crash on Interstate 93 in Canterbury, New Hampshire.
According to New Hampshire State Police, a trooper attempted to stop a blue Honda Civic traveling northbound near Exit 12 for speeding. The driver, later identified as Benjamin Tapia Gately of Saugus, Massachusetts, refused to stop and continued to flee at speeds reaching up to 120 miles per hour, weaving erratically through traffic.
Troopers continued the pursuit as Gately’s vehicle exited the highway at Exit 18, where he lost control on the off-ramp. The car veered off the roadway, went down an embankment, and crashed into a tree.
Authorities said Gately was thrown from the vehicle due to the impact and was pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The highway remained partially closed for several hours while investigators reconstructed the scene and cleared the wreckage.
The incident remains under investigation by the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit. Anyone who may have witnessed the pursuit or the crash is urged to contact state police headquarters.