Maine man leads police on hourlong high speed chase through Seacoast

Justin B. Digaetano (Rockingham County Jail photo)

HAMPTON - A Maine man led State Police on a high speed hourlong chase Thursday through several Seacoast towns along Interstate 95 and Routes 1. 101 and 16 before ending with a helicopter tracking his whereabouts on secondary roads in North Hampton where a tire deflation device finally ended the pursuit.
The incident unfolded around 7:15 a.m. when New Hampshire State Police Communications received a report of a U-Haul pickup truck that had crashed into a guardrail on Route 101 East in the Town of Raymond and fled the scene.
Around 10 minutes later, Trooper Stephen Galvin and Trooper Seth Parker of the New Hampshire State Police Troop A Barracks intercepted the vehicle on Route 101 West in Hampton and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
As Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, the vehicle continued onto Route 1 South and eventually came to a stop. But as Troopers approached the vehicle on foot, the driver took off again, prompting the pursuit.
From this point, the driver led police along several major corridors in the Seacoast area to include Route 1 and Route 101 in Hampton, I-95 in North Hampton, Greenland, and Portsmouth, and Route 16 in Portsmouth, Newington, and Dover.
During the course of the pursuit, the vehicle traveled at excessive rates of speed, failed to maintain a single lane of travel, disobeyed traffic control devices, and executed an illegal U-turn. At one point along I-95, the vehicle traveled across a grass median to reverse direction. The vehicle also collided with another motorist resulting in minor property damage and fled the scene. Eventually, the pursuit entered Route 1 South in Portsmouth and continued into North Hampton.
Upon entering North Hampton, the vehicle departed from Route 1 and entered secondary roadways at which time a State Police helicopter joined the pursuit to assist troopers on the ground in tracking the vehicle.
As the vehicle continued along secondary roadways, North Hampton Police Officers deployed tire deflation devices and successfully deflated all four tires of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle came to a final stop on Hobbs Road in the Town of North Hampton at which point Troopers were able to take the operator into custody without further incident.
Justin B. Digaetano, 32, of Portland, was determined to be the lone occupant within the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that the driver was under the influence of drugs, his privileges to operate a motor vehicle were under suspension, and he was the subject of an outstanding warrant originating out of the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, which stemmed from a failure to appear in court on an underlying felony-level charge of Receiving Stolen Property.
Following a medical evaluation at a nearby hospital, Digaetano was booked at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. In addition to the outstanding warrant, the New Hampshire State Police filed several additional criminal charges including Reckless Conduct (Class B Felony), Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (Class A Misdemeanor), Disobeying An Officer (Class A Misdemeanor), Operating After Suspension (Violation), Driving Without Giving Proof (Class A Misdemeanor), Conduct After An Accident (Class A Misdemeanor), and Resisting Arrest or Detention (Class A Misdemeanor).
Digaetano refused bail and was held at the Rockingham County House of Corrections pending an appearance in the Rockingham County Superior Court today
Based upon potential drug evidence observed within the involved vehicle, the vehicle was impounded pending application for a search warrant and additional charges are expected.
Hobbs Road was closed to traffic for approximately 30 minutes while Troopers investigated the scene and a wrecker worked to facilitate the removal and impoundment of the vehicle.
During the course of this incident, Troopers from the New Hampshire State Police Troop A Barracks were assisted by the New Hampshire State Police Aviation Unit, the New Hampshire State Police Mobile Enforcement Team, the New Hampshire State Police K9 Unit, the North Hampton Police Department, the Hampton Police Department, the Portsmouth Police Department, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, the North Hampton Fire Department, and Dave's Garage. This incident remains under investigation by Trooper Seth Parker of the New Hampshire State Police Troop A Barracks. Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact Trooper Parker at Seth.W.Parker@dos.nh.gov