MANCHESTER, NH – A city man, arrested in June on felony charges connected to a crash that killed an 11-month-old toddler, is now facing upgraded charges of negligent homicide and reckless manslaughter.
A Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District grand jury in September indicted Justin Laclair, 24, of 464 Chestnut St., on those two offenses as well as conduct after an accident, death resulting; five counts of reckless conduct, deadly weapon; first-degree assault, and aggravated driving under the influence of an intoxicating liquor and/or controlled drug.
If convicted of manslaughter, Laclair faces up to 30 years in prison.
The charges stem from a June 12, 2025 crash that killed 11-month-old Rebecca Cole of Mancheser. Laclair is accused of driving through the intersection of Lake Avenue and Belmont Street and striking Cole, who was in a stroller, and her sister, who was walking with other family members.
Steven Cole and his five children were crossing Belmont Street that afternoon when, he told police, “something came flying out of the sky” striking his 11-year-old daughter and Rebecca.
The impact of the collision sent both Rebecca, who was in a stroller, airborne before landing in bushes at the northwest corner of Lake Avenue and Belmont Street. Her 11-year-old sister suffered broken bones as well, including a fractured femur.
Steven Cole managed to pull three of his children to safety.
Police said after Laclair struck the children, he continued driving north on Belmont Street at a high rate of speed, sending the vehicle airborne across the intersection of Belmont and Spruce streets. The car continued on through the intersection of Belmont and Hanover streets where it collided with a car before slamming into a utility pole. He then allegedly walked away from the crash but was arrested soon after.
The collision happened at 3:56 p.m. and was witnessed by many residents. According to court documents, Laclair was driving the wrong way, on a one-way section of Belmont Street, when he struck the children, didn’t stop and sped off, hitting a car and then a utility pole.
Laclair told police he and his girlfriend had an argument that day and he decided to leave and get some beer to “just get out of the house.” He admitted to “drinking a little bit before that so I was a little bit tipsy. I don’t really remember what happened, but I remember getting to a corner. Then I went to go across the street and after that everything went black,” according to court records.
He said after he bought the beer he went back to the house and drank it by himself. He said he had three drinks but then told investigators he was drinking “Smirnoff tall boys 8%…they’re a lot…8%..they’re a lot. After tonight, I’m not drinking again.” He told police he was drinking around 2 to 3 p.m. and that he drank all three in three hours to four hours. “I was definitely tipsy,” he told investigators.
Police asked Laclair on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being completely sober and 10 being hammered drunk, how drunk he was and Laclair replied, “Probably a three.”
He said he only remembers post-crash waking up in the hospital. Asked if prior to the crash he was comfortable driving, Laclair said, “I was drunk. I was not thinking about getting into an accident. It was not a smart idea. It was not what I should have been doing.”
Laclair is to be arraigned on the charges on Oct 20, 2025.