NH Man Arrested In Braintree After Hit-And-Run Crash

BRAINTREE, MA — A New Hampshire man was arrested Tuesday morning after Braintree police said he injured a person in a hit-and-run crash.

Matthew Simonson, 35, of Greenville, New Hampshire, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), leaving the scene of person injury, leaving the scene of property damage and operating to endanger.

Around 3:30 a.m., a Braintree police officer on patrol near the South Shore Plaza was flagged down by a man who said he witnessed a hit-and-run crash.

The officer searched the area and found a gold four-door sedan with heavy damage to its front end in a parking lot outside Dave and Buster’s. Police said the officer then saw Simonson jump out of the car, look around and then return to the vehicle. Once Simonson saw the officer, he immediately ran away into the woods behind Dave and Buster's, police said.

The officer called for additional officers from Braintree and Quincy, as well as a Randolph police K-9 unit, to help search for Simonson. He was quickly found in the woods and taken into police custody.

The victim of the hit-and-run, a 36-year-old Randolph man, later told police he saw a suspicious vehicle following him while driving home on Route 2 near Concord.

Despite making several obscure turns the vehicle kept following him, police said. After driving for about 50 miles, he pulled off the highway and drove through Randolph, eventually stopping at a stop light in Braintree near the Five Corners intersection on Granite Street. At that point, a man later identified as Simonson, got out of the car and tried to for his way into the victim’s vehicle, police said. After his attempt was unsuccessful, Simonson returned to his car.

The victim then got out of his car and tried confronting Simonson. But police said Simonson got back inside his car and accelerated directly towards the victim, striking his car and the victim.

Police said the man then saw Simonson drive off and strike a telephone pole before driving away down Granite Street toward the South Shore Plaza. A Brewster ambulance came and treated the man for his injuries there. He did not go to the hospital.

A few minutes later, while Simonson was being pursued by police, the victim called 911 to report what happened. Police said the description of the incident matched with what police were told by the witness outside Dave & Buster's.

"I want to commend all of the officers involved in this arrest, including those from Quincy and Randolph who provided assistance," Chief Mark Dubois said. "Through thorough and cooperative police work, these officers were able to quickly bring the suspect into custody without any further incident."

Simponson is being held on bail.