MANCHESTER, NH – A city man is in custody after police say he eluded police after a traffic incident and then crashed his vehicle and fled on foot before being taken into custody.
Joseph Ayoub, 39, is charged with conduct after an accident, disobeying a police officer, driving after revocation/suspension, and resisting arrest. He was also found to have an Electronic Bench Warrant out of Salem District Court.
According to a police narrative, on January 7, 2026, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a Manchester Police Officer driving in the area of Pine and Amherst streets saw a vehicle fail to stop at the intersection and nearly hit another vehicle.
The officer activated his lights and siren in an attempt to stop the driver of the vehicle, but the driver “took off at a high rate of speed,” according to police. The officer briefly followed the vehicle but called off the pursuit for safety reasons.
At the intersection of Union and Somerville streets the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole. At that time, he left the vehicle and took off on foot. Officers were able to catch up to him and with the assistance of Hillsborough County Sheriff Deputies, he was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver was identified as Joseph Ayoub, 39, of Manchester. It was also determined that Ayoub had hit another vehicle prior to crashing into the pole. The driver of that car went to the hospital with minor injuries.