Police in Hillsborough drew their guns on a car parked outside the Shaw's supermarket on West Main Street after a traffic stop escalated into a tense standoff, with the driver refusing to pull over and then barricading himself inside his vehicle for several minutes before officers took him into custody.
The driver, identified as 58-year-old Matthew Galya of Bridgeport, Connecticut, stopped his car in the Shaw's lot rather than immediately pulling over when officials say police in Hillsborough tried to conduct a traffic stop, according to WMUR. His refusal to stop turned the encounter into a felony traffic stop, per a police report cited by the station, prompting officers to draw their weapons as Galya remained barricaded inside the car.
Police from Antrim, Henniker and Greenfield responded to the scene to back up Hillsborough officers, the station reported. That kind of rapid, multi-town response is possible because small departments across Hillsborough County, including those four towns, operate under a regional mutual aid agreement that allows for quick deployment of outside manpower during high-risk calls, according to the Town of Hillsborough.
Why Officers Drew Their Weapons
Standard law enforcement protocol for a felony or high-risk traffic stop calls for officers to unholster their weapons, use their vehicles for cover, and issue distance commands when a driver refuses to stop or barricades inside a car, per Wikipedia. Those tactics are designed to protect officers when a suspect's intentions and threat level remain unknown, and they appear consistent with how the scene unfolded outside the grocery store.
The Hillsborough Police Department had previously advised drivers with a cell phone who were uncertain about the legitimacy of a traffic stop to use four-way flashers, drive the speed limit, and call 911; drivers without a cell phone were advised to proceed to a well-lit, busy place such as a grocery store lot, according to a safety tip the department issued in February 2023, as reported by Boston 25 News.
A Tense Week for Local Police
The standoff came just four days after Hillsborough officers were involved in a high-risk pursuit in neighboring Antrim, during which a fleeing driver rammed a cruiser head-on and injured two officers, as Hoodline reported in its earlier coverage of the Antrim chase. The Antrim crash occurred four days before the standoff at the Shaw's lot.
After remaining barricaded in his car for several minutes, Galya exited the vehicle and was taken into custody, WMUR reported. He was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and disobeying a police officer, authorities told News 9. Under New Hampshire RSA 265:4, disobeying a police officer by refusing to stop is generally classified as a Class A misdemeanor carrying a mandatory driver's license suspension, according to the New Hampshire General Court. Separately, under RSA 642:2, a person is guilty of resisting arrest or detention when they knowingly or purposely physically interfere with an officer attempting an arrest or temporary stop, per Justia Law.
Evaluation at Concord Hospital
Galya is being evaluated at Concord Hospital, the station reported. Concord Hospital operates the busiest emergency department in New Hampshire and functions as a Level II Trauma Center, according to Wikipedia. Galya's hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, sits roughly 160 miles southwest of Hillsborough, according to the Granite State Report.
The incident also lands amid a broader statewide push to crack down on drivers who flee police. During the 2026 legislative session, New Hampshire lawmakers considered Senate Bill 409-FN, which would elevate penalties for evading police from misdemeanors to Class B felonies, following New Hampshire State Police reports showing a 123% surge in vehicle pursuits since 2017, according to the New Hampshire General Court. It remains unclear what initially prompted officers to attempt the traffic stop, and whether Galya will face additional charges once his evaluation at Concord Hospital is complete.
