Arrest in Pedestrian Hit & Run Crash

On April 8th, 2022 at approximately 5:46 AM, Troopers from the New Hampshire State Police – Troop B Barracks, along with Officers from Merrimack Police Department and medical personnel from the Merrimack Fire Department, responded to the report of a crash involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian on the F.E. Everett Turnpike South, located in Merrimack, New Hampshire in the area of mile marker 13.

Upon arrival, it was determined that a 59 year old male from Manchester, NH, pulled over on the right side of the turnpike and exited his vehicle, to render aid to a previous motor vehicle crash that occurred in the center median, blocking the left lane. While walking towards the crash scene, the pedestrian was struck by an unidentified vehicle that entered the grass shoulder off the right side of the roadway. The pedestrian was transported to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire and then to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts for life threating injuries.

The Collision Analysis & Reconstruction (C.A.R.) Unit responded to the scene and worked collaboratively with the New Hampshire State Police – Troop B Barracks.

Following an investigation, members of the New Hampshire State Police, arrested Jose Enrique Cruz Vasquez, 30, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Investigators had developed information that Vasquez was the operator of the motor vehicle which struck the pedestrian, resulting in life threatening injuries.

An arrest warrant was obtained and Vasquez was taken into custody at the New Hampshire State Police Troop B Barracks without incident. He was charged with Reckless Conduct with a Deadly Weapon and Conduct after an Accident. He will be arraigned at the Hillsborough County Superior Court on Monday, April 11, 2022.