Newmarket man identified as victim in chase that ended in fatal crash

PORTSMOUTH - The man who led police on a three-town chase on Thursday that ended with his death when he crashed in Portsmouth has been identified.

The probe into why John Toussaint, 33, of Newmarket, sought to elude police continues as an active and ongoing investigation, according to safety officials.

The incident unfolded on Thursday around 4:45 p.m. when Deputies from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office observed a Nissan Sentra that had an expired inspection sticker and front-end damage on Route 101 in Hampton. After attempting to stop the vehicle on Route 27, it fled from Deputies and was last seen heading northbound on Route 1 in the Town of Hampton, according to a statement by the state Dept. of Safety sent on Friday.

The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office then put out a be on the lookout (BOLO) for the vehicle to other local agencies. Minutes later, an officer from the Greenland Police Department observed the vehicle on Post Road and activated their emergency lights but due to the Sentra's high rate of speed and erratic driving, they lost sight of the vehicle.

The vehicle took a right on Route 33 and then took a right onto Ocean Road, continuing at a high rate of speed until the driver lost control and went off the right side of the roadway into the woods in the area of 424 Ocean Road in Portsmouth.

Toussaint was transported to the Portsmouth Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Anyone who may have witnesses the crash, or has any information related to the incident is asked to contact Trooper First Class Nathaniel Goodwin at (603) 545-4288 or Nathaniel.D.Goodwin@dos.nh.gov.