Background: News footage of the fatal crash in Litchfield, N.H. on Wednesday (WMUR). Inset: John Burke (Litchfield Police Department).
The police reported that a teenager from New Hampshire was accused of being under the influence during a road rage event on Wednesday, where he deliberately collided with a motorcyclist using his vehicle.
In a press release shared on Facebook, the Litchfield Police Department detailed the arrest of 19-year-old John Burke. Burke was driving a Toyota Corolla through the town in New Hampshire at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday night. Emergency services arrived after receiving a notification from Burke’s vehicle about the crash at 9:17 p.m., and a 911 call was made to report the incident.
Upon reaching the scene, officers discovered Burke’s Toyota collided head-on with a Mitsubishi Outlander. Alongside the road, police found a motorcycle and 57-year-old Jeffrey Day, who was unresponsive. Unfortunately, he was declared dead at the location.
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Burke and the driver of the Mitsubishi were treated for minor injuries.
According to Litchfield Police, an investigation into the crash led them to believe that “the collision between the Toyota and the motorcycle was intentional, based on witness statements and physical evidence.”
“The subsequent crash involving the Mitsubishi was not believed to be intentional, but occurred as the driver of the Mitsubishi swerved to miss the motorcycle as it slid into her lane,” the statement also said.
Police noted that Burke was intoxicated at the scene. Details about what led up to the alleged intentional collision between Burke and Day were not provided. According to reporting by local ABC affiliate WMUR, Burke allegedly had a small bottle of alcohol in his car and spoke to a witness at the scene about what they should tell police.
Burke was arrested and charged with reckless manslaughter, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated DUI causing serious bodily injury, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, witness tampering, and vehicular assault. A charge of negligent homicide was dropped.
At his arraignment on Thursday, Burke was ordered to remain in custody until his probable cause hearing on May 6.
