Local News

N.H. governor’s security aid rescues Mass. driver from fiery toll booth crash

Gov. Kelly Ayotte and a state trooper assigned to her security detail were among those who helped rescue the trapped driver.

N.H. Gov. Kelly Ayotte and a state trooper helped rescue a Mass. driver from a flaming wreck Tuesday. New Hampshire State Police

By Darin Zullo

March 31, 2026

1 minute to read

A Massachusetts driver was seriously injured Tuesday after they crashed into a New Hampshire toll plaza and their car went up in flames.

Just before noon, New Hampshire State Troopers responded to 911 calls about a northbound car that struck the Bedford Toll Plaza on the Everett Turnpike and caught fire. Callers reported that the driver appeared to be trapped in the vehicle, State Police said in a press release.

While state troopers were responding, another trooper assigned to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s security detail encountered the flaming vehicle. Seeing that the driver was still inside, the trooper jumped into action, pulling them from a car window and bringing them to safety, according to State Police.

Ayotte and other witnesses at the scene helped assist the trooper in rescuing the victim, police said.

The driver, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant, was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, according to State Police. The identity of the trooper who came to the rescue is being withheld at this time “due to the nature of their position,” the agency said.

“Certainly, their actions were heroic in what they did,” New Hampshire State Police Col. Mark Hall said. “Without hesitation, they put themselves in danger to render aid to someone who was in need of it.”

The tolls were closed Tuesday afternoon while officers investigated, and traffic was rerouted off Exit 13, State Police said on X. By 5 p.m., the northbound lanes of the tolls were mostly reopened, with “at least one lane” remaining closed.

#UPDATE: The vehicle struck the toll plaza and became fully engulfed. The driver of the vehicle suffered serious injuries and was pulled from the vehicle by witnesses.

The Everett Turnpike North is closed at the tolls. Traffic is being routed off Exit 13. Investigation ongoing. https://t.co/0lwvFHCaAi
— New Hampshire State Police (@NH_StatePolice) March 31, 2026

No charges have been filed against the driver, but the crash remains under investigation, according to State Police. The agency asked anyone with information that may aid the investigation to contact Trooper Nathan Belanger at [email protected].