A 17-year-old fleeing a New Hampshire State Police trooper crashed through the perimeter fence at Portsmouth International Airport on Saturday night, drove across the aircraft parking apron, and struck a Kubota tractor and a small stationary plane. New Hampshire State Police identified the suspect as Wyatt Seely, of Rochester, who was found intoxicated at the scene. No other individuals were injured.
The airfield perimeter fence is the primary physical boundary separating road-accessible ground from the airside, where aircraft park, taxi, and stage before departure. A vehicle that crosses it and reaches the apron enters the same operational surface used by aircraft during ground movement. Saturday's incident reduced that layer to a physical obstacle a car at speed could clear.
The pursuit
New Hampshire State Police said they had been searching for a vehicle connected to reported crimes in other local jurisdictions when a trooper attempted to stop a black 2008 Ford Mustang on Durham Street in Portsmouth. The driver fled. The Mustang had no lights on, according to the state police release, when it crashed through the airport's perimeter fence shortly after 8 p.m. and traveled across the aircraft parking apron. The vehicle struck the Kubota tractor and the small, unoccupied, stationary plane before coming to a stop.
Seely was taken into custody at the scene and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Portsmouth Police and Fire departments, the Newington Police Department, and Pease Fire and Emergency Services assisted state troopers during the response. New Hampshire State Police posted their account publicly on X the following day, Sunday.
Charges
Seely faces misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer, and conduct after an accident, along with a violation-level reckless driving offense. His arraignment is scheduled at Portsmouth District Court on September 9, 2026.