What started as a routine traffic stop turned into a high-speed, multi-town chase Saturday morning, ending with a wrecked car in downtown Ashburnham and a brief foot pursuit across a prep-school campus. Police say the vehicle was wanted in connection with a suspected robbery before officers ever hit the lights. After stop sticks were deployed near the town center, the car lost its tires, both occupants bolted, and officers tackled the situation quickly. One suspect and one officer were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
According to the Ashburnham Police Department, the pursuit kicked off around 10:30 a.m. when the driver refused to stop for the Orange Police Department and sped through Westminster and Winchendon before crossing into Ashburnham, as reported by Boston 25 News. Ashburnham officers said they laid down stop sticks near Lashua Road and scored a solid hit, disabling the vehicle before it careened out of control at Main and Cushing streets. The car slammed into curbs and shoved two parked vehicles in front of St. Denis Church at 85 Main Street. Authorities later identified the occupants as Echevarria Torres, 42, and William De Jese Rodriguez, 37, both of Fitchburg, and said each man already had active arrest warrants.
Crash and campus chase
After the crash, both men ditched the wreck and took off on foot, but officers were right behind them. One suspect was caught behind a building on the Cushing Academy campus, just a short run from the intersection. “The vehicle continued to Main Street losing control at the intersection of Main and Cushing Street,” Ashburnham Police Chief Chris W. Conrad said, according to Boston 25 News. Officers from Westminster, Winchendon, Orange and the state police all joined in the response, and Orange police ultimately took custody of the two suspects.
Charges and next steps
Ashburnham police said the two men are expected to face motor-vehicle and property-damage charges in Ashburnham, with more counts likely coming from the communities where the pursuit began. Local prosecutors will sort out the formal charges, and court dates had not yet been set. The incident remains under investigation by the agencies that responded to the scene.
Why the campus mattered
Cushing Academy is a college-preparatory boarding and day school near Ashburnham’s town center, and its campus sits within walking distance of the crash site, according to Cushing Academy. The school typically houses hundreds of students during the academic year. School officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
