Airport chaos erupts after driver suddenly smashes through fence, hits plane and tractor: police

A police pursuit in New Hampshire ended inside Portsmouth International Airport on Saturday night after authorities say a teenage driver smashed through a security fence, crossed onto airport property and hit both a parked aircraft and a tractor.

The breach happened shortly after 8 p.m. at Portsmouth International Airport, New Hampshire State Police said in an update released Sunday.

Investigators identified the driver as 17-year-old Wyatt Seely of Rochester and said he was found to be intoxicated after the crash.

State police said the incident began as authorities were looking for “a vehicle related to reported crimes in other local jurisdictions.”

police outside airport

FILE — Authorities said a 17-year-old driver was intoxicated when he allegedly breached Portsmouth International Airport’s perimeter during a police pursuit. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A trooper later spotted a black 2008 Ford Mustang on Durham Street in Portsmouth and attempted to pull it over. Instead, police said, the driver took off.

“The Mustang, which did not have its lights on at the time, then crashed through a perimeter fence of the nearby Portsmouth International Airport and traveled across an aircraft parking apron,” officials said in a statement.

The Mustang then slammed into a Kubota tractor and a small, stationary plane that was unoccupied before finally stopping, New Hampshire State Police said in a post on X.

an orange tractor inside facility

FILE — The teen allegedly struck a Kubota tractor at the airport during the incident. (FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Seely was taken into custody by state troopers and transported to an area hospital for evaluation, police said.

No one else was injured.

The teen was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated (DWI), aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer and conduct after an accident. He was also charged with a violation-level offense of reckless driving.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court on Sept. 9, 2026.

New Hampshire State Police car

FILE — New Hampshire State Police said teen driver Wyatt Seely was charged after a police chase ended at Portsmouth International Airport. (New Hampshire State Police)

The Portsmouth Police and Fire departments, the Newington Police Department, and Pease Fire and Emergency Services assisted during the incident.

News Outlet reached out to Portsmouth International Airport for more information.

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