Longtime Police Officer, Wife Killed In Wrong-Way NH Crash

EPPING, NH — A recently retired police officer and his wife were killed Thursday night after authorities said a wrong-way driver crashed into their car on Route 101 in Epping. John Johnson, 58, of New Ipswich, served as a police officer in Townsend, Massachusetts, for 40 years. He retired last year.

Police said Johnson was driving with his wife, Heidi, 57, in his Chevrolet Impala on the westbound side of the highway at about 11:40 p.m. when the crash happened. Police said Ryan Kittredge, 31, of Derry, was at the wheel of a Dodge pickup truck and slammed into the couple's vehicle head-on as he drove in the opposite direction on the highway. The Johnsons were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Kittredge made a U-turn somewhere in the area of Exit 7 in the moments leading up to the crash. Following the crash, a 23-year-old Raymond man slammed into Kittredge's disabled truck. The man was seriously injured and transported to Exeter Hospital; he was expected to survive. Police said the Raymond man couldn't see the truck because its lights were not working due to the collision.

State Police Trooper Daniel Quartulli said authorities were still investigating why Kittredge drove in the wrong direction.

Townsend police were devastated by Johnson's death.

"He was a great guy, an old school police officer right out of central casting," Townsend Deputy Police Chief James Sartell told Patch.

Johnson retired last year at the rank of sergeant. Sartell said Johnson was a fixture at the town's annual senior picnic, manning the grill all day with a smile on his face.

"He was a community-oriented person, very kind," Sartell said. "It's left a lot of people shocked and dismayed."

Johnson loved being a police officer so much that he was intent on returning to the department as a reserve officer following his retirement, according to Sartell.

Lead photo: John Johnson. (Credit: Townsend Police Department)