Police: Chase called off well prior to crash that killed two Rochester men

Michael Murphy was the father of two young children (Courtesy photo)

DOVER - The two Rochester men who died in a fiery crash on Sixth Street earlier this month may have been fleeing police after an earlier encounter with officers outside a downtown bar.

Joseph A. Bougie, 32, the owner of the car that crashed, and Michael J. Murphy, 22, were both found dead by a Dover Police Officer who came upon the scene around 12:25 a.m. as the BMW they were riding in was still fully engulfed.

A Tuesday press release from Dover Police noted that on March 17 around 11:35 p.m., about 50 minutes before the pair died, two Dover police officers made contact with Murphy after he walked out of a bar in downtown Dover. The officers were familiar with Murphy from prior police contacts, according to the release, which went on to say that he exited the bar accompanied by another male who upon seeing the officers abruptly turned and walked away.

The officers then spoke with Murphy after he entered the passenger seat of a 2010 BMW sedan. The officers then learned that the vehicle was registered to Bougie, who had active warrants from other jurisdictions for disobeying a police officer, reckless operation, speed, and violation of a court order.

The officers suspected that Murphy had been accompanied by Bougie based on the fact that the BMW was registered to him, his physical description, and photo; however, Murphy refused to identify the male that walked away. Officers checked the area for Bougie but came up empty.

Shortly thereafter, however, the officers observed the BMW leaving the area but lost sight of it in the area of Sixth Street. Several minutes later, another officer observed a similar vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Glenwood Avenue near the intersection with Sixth Street and turned on his blues to reverse direction to attempt a traffic stop as it proceeded northbound on Sixth Street.

Based on the speed of the vehicle, the officer followed department policy and ended the chase in the area of JD Howard Dental at 375 Sixth St., police say.

The officer was never able to confirm if the vehicle was Bougie's BMW due to its high rate of speed. That the officer ended the chase has been confirmed by nearby surveillance footage as well as police vehicle data, the release added.

After discontinuing the chase, the officer continued driving on Sixth Street and discovered the crash about two miles down the road.

The investigation has concluded that no officers were attempting to stop or pursue the vehicle at the time it crashed. The Dover Police Department does not anticipate releasing any further information until the toxicology results are available

Police believe the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed near Longhill Road, but have no yet said whether impairment was a factor.

Murphy was the father of two young children. Bougie was formerly from Sanford. Maine.