Hartford Police assist Claremont pursuit on Interstate 91 northbound

A late-night pursuit that began in Claremont turned into a cross-border response on Interstate 91 northbound, where Hartford Police joined the stop near mile marker 69 and helped bring the vehicle under control.

Hartford officers were called to the interstate at 11:27 p.m. on April 19 to assist Claremont Police with a motor vehicle pursuit heading toward Hartford. The chase did not stay inside one city or one state line. By the time it reached the highway corridor, it had become a shared public-safety operation along the New Hampshire-Vermont border, with both departments working the same incident across state lines.

Hartford Police said they deployed spike strips to disable the vehicle. The pursuit ended on Sykes Mountain Avenue near Beswick Drive in Hartford, where officers stopped the car and took the driver into custody. Police said the driver was underage and was processed at the Claremont Police Station.

Claremont officers had suspected the driver was under the influence before the vehicle sped off, according to the information released about the case. Police did not specify the driver’s charges, and the investigation was still ongoing after the stop. Even so, the incident underscored the risks that emerge when a local pursuit reaches a highway route that serves both sides of the river.

The response also showed how mutual aid works in practice in the Upper Valley and Connecticut River Valley. Claremont officers began the pursuit, but once the vehicle moved onto I-91 northbound and approached Hartford, Vermont, Hartford Police became part of the immediate response. On a stretch of interstate that links the two states, authority can shift quickly from one department to another as officers coordinate over radio, watch traffic patterns, and decide when to intervene.

For Sullivan County residents, the key point is not only that the chase crossed the border. It is that a routine-looking police stop can turn into an interstate incident in minutes, with nearby agencies called in to manage danger that affects drivers on both sides of the line. In this case, the night ended with spike strips, an arrest, and an active investigation, all on a corridor where Claremont and Hartford share the same road and the same risk.