HILLSBORO, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – A Manchester man was arrested Monday following a highway pursuit that ended in Hillsboro.

Antrim police responded to a call just before 5 p.m. regarding suspected drug use by a male inside a vehicle parked at the T-Bird Mini-mart. Authorities soon discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Nashua and was heading towards Hillsboro along Route 202, according to a news release from the Hillsboro Police Department.

In an effort to intercept the vehicle before it entered Hillsboro, officers deployed spike strips at two different locations. Despite these measures, the driver evaded capture, accelerating to speeds over 90 miles per hour as officers from both Hillsboro and Antrim pursued him. The vehicle was eventually spiked by Hillsboro police near the Ford dealership and again after passing McDonald’s.

The pursuit continued as the suspect took the westbound Route 9 on-ramp at high speed, despite three of the vehicle’s tires being deflated. The vehicle then veered off the road, crashing over the median and coming to rest on the side of a hill.

The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled into the nearby woods toward Gibbson Road. A plainclothes detective, dressed in a suit, pursued the suspect on foot and successfully apprehended him within minutes.

The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Michael Stephens. Stephens now faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence (DUI), reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, failure to comply with police orders, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, possession of a controlled drug, and receiving stolen property. An adult female passenger who was with Stephens at the time of the crash was also taken into custody.

The operation was supported by additional law enforcement agencies, including the Henniker Police and the Newbury Police K9 unit, which happened to be in the area and assisted in locating narcotics believed to have been discarded by the suspect in the woods.