A N.H. motorcyclist was clocked at 158 mph, with a passenger on the back, police say

A 21-year-old Farmington, New Hampshire, man is facing a slew of charges after allegedly driving his motorcycle in the Live Free or Die state at speeds up to 158 mph Sunday, and fleeing from police in the process.

Zachary Dionne was eventually arrested after stopping at a gas station off Portsmouth’s Exit 3 on Interstate 95. He was charged with felony reckless conduct — deadly weapon, reckless driving, making an unsafe lane change, disobeying an officer, resisting arrest, failing to display plates, and having an unregistered vehicle, State Police said.

State Police initially received a report of a group of motorcyclists “being operated hazardously” while traveling east on Route 101 in Raymond. A trooper in a police aircraft then located the group and noticed one bike — allegedly operated by Dionne — begin to pull away, “passing other motor vehicles, and going in between two vehicles at the same time.” The trooper observed this motorcycle going 158 mph as it continued east, police said.

As the bike approached the exit ramp for I-95, a trooper in a vehicle spotted it, allegedly clocked it at 110 mph, and activated his blue lights. “Trooper [Samuel] Provenza observed a passenger on the back of the motorcycle, and it did not appear to be slowing, he did not pursue it,” police said.

The police aircraft followed the motorcycle from above as it traveled east and south on Route 1. It slowed in traffic, and Provenza was able to see it again.

This is what happened next, per police:

The motorcycle again refused to stop and instead accelerated rapidly and began recklessly passing other vehicles and disregarding multiple motor vehicle laws. Trooper Provenza did not pursue and allowed the aircraft to follow it.

The motorcycle continued onto Route 107 and then entered I-95 northbound, where (Trooper Thomas Lombardi in the aircraft) acquired multiple additional speed readings, with a high speed of 144 mph. During this time, the operator used all lanes of I-95 to pass and weave in and out of traffic. The motorcycle took Exit 3, and Trooper Lombardi maintained visual contact as it traveled down Greenland Road and pulled into a gas station.

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That’s where Dionne was taken into custody. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday.