Allegedly drunk driver fleeing Waterford police dies in car crash

New London – A police chase turned fatal early this morning when a man Waterford police believed was drunk crashed his car on a residential street in New London.

At 12:33 this morning, Waterford's emergency communications center received a complaint that an individual suspected to be drunk was leaving Fire & Ice Café, at 372 Boston Post Road, according to a statement written by Lt. Jeffrey Nixon of the Waterford Police Department.

Witnesses told police they were unsuccessful in trying to stop the driver, who was not identified by Waterford or New London police, from driving away.

Waterford police initially were able to stop the driver, but he drove away at high speeds. Police followed the car along residential streets but lost the vehicle "due to its manner of operation and apparent speed," according to Nixon's statement.

At about 12:42 a.m., New London police alerted Waterford police of a car accident on Chester Street, a residential street not far from the Waterford border. The car had driven off the road and struck a utility pole and a chain link fence before coming to a stop. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police officers from Waterford identified the victim as the same man they had stopped moments before.

New London police are investigating the crash, said Deputy Chief Marshall Segar, a spokesman for the department.