A New Hampshire state trooper tried to pull over a gray 2021 Hyundai Elantra going more than 100 mph north on Interstate 95 in Greenland just before 9:38 p.m. Friday, kicking off a chase that would stretch into Portsmouth before it was over. By the time it ended, an 18-year-old Belmont, Massachusetts man was facing a felony charge and his 18-year-old passenger, also of Belmont, was released on bail.
Trooper Called Off Pursuit, Then Found the Car Again
According to a New Hampshire State Police news release, the Troop A trooper spotted the Hyundai Elantra speeding north on I-95 and attempted a traffic stop before the driver, identified as Justin Jedrey, refused to stop. Troopers briefly discontinued the chase after the vehicle exited I-95 into Portsmouth, citing public safety concerns, according to Portsmouth Patch. Troopers located the Hyundai again a short time later, but Jedrey once more refused to stop when they tried a second traffic stop, according to police.
With Jedrey still fleeing, assisting troopers moved to block the Hyundai and deployed tire deflation devices, per WCVB Boston. The blocking attempt caused minor damage to police cruisers, but the spike strips ultimately brought the pursuit to an end. No injuries were reported during the response, which drew in Portsmouth Police Department officers to assist state troopers.
Felony Charge Carries Years-Long Exposure
Jedrey was arrested and now faces a lengthy list of charges: felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, reckless operation, criminal mischief, misdemeanor conduct after an accident, misdemeanor disobeying a police officer, transportation of alcoholic beverages by a minor, and unlawful possession and intoxication. He was held on preventive detention ahead of an arraignment scheduled for Monday in Portsmouth District Court.
The felony count is the most serious of the bunch. Under New Hampshire's RSA 631:3, reckless conduct becomes a Class B felony when a motor vehicle is used in a manner that constitutes a deadly weapon, a threshold that requires prosecutors to show the vehicle posed an imminent danger of serious bodily injury, according to Bowser Law. A conviction on that charge alone could carry 3.5 to 7 years in state prison and fines up to $4,000. Separately, New Hampshire law under RSA 265:81-a bars drivers under 21 from transporting alcohol in a vehicle unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or adult spouse, a restriction the New Hampshire Supreme Court has laid out in state court guidance.
His passenger, Nikol Muka, was charged only with unlawful possession and intoxication and was released on bail. She is due in Portsmouth District Court on Monday as well, the same day as Jedrey's arraignment, though her case involves a violation-level charge rather than the felony and misdemeanor counts Jedrey faces.
Part of a Pattern on the Seacoast's Busiest Highway
State pursuit policy in New Hampshire isn't improvised on the fly. RSA 265:8-a requires every state, county, and local agency running vehicular pursuits to adopt written policies that meet state or national accreditation standards, according to Justia Law, which is likely why troopers pulled back from the chase once before re-engaging with tire deflation devices.
This isn't the first high-speed episode on this stretch of I-95 in Greenland. Last November, Troop A troopers responded to a similar incident there in which a fleeing driver crashed into the median and was held on preventive detention at Rockingham County Jail. And in March, Hoodline covered an 18-year-old's 118-mph chase that also began on I-95 near Greenland and ended in felony reckless conduct charges for another young Massachusetts driver. Troop A, headquartered in Epping, oversees traffic incident management across the Seacoast region along the I-95 corridor connecting Massachusetts and Maine, a stretch that continues to see young out-of-state drivers testing troopers' patience at triple-digit speeds.
