Police: Man crashes car into Hudson, N.H. church, sets fire at entrance

HUDSON, N.H. — Police say a Salem, N.H. man crashed his car into the First Baptist Church in Hudson, started a fire at the church’s entrance, and attempted to break into a 7-Eleven located next door, all during the early morning hours Saturday.

The Hudson Police said the destructive incident was brought to their attention at around 2:30 a.m. when they were flagged down by a man standing in the roadway, near the intersection of Central and Greeley streets.

Police said the man, later identified as 29-year-old Matthew Jackson, alerted officers to a fire at the First Baptist Church, located at 236 Central St.

Based on an on-scene investigation, police said they developed probable cause to believe Jackson intentionally started the fire at the entrance of the church, “causing extensive fire damage.”

With Jackson in custody, an additional investigation was conducted, at which point police said they discovered Jackson had crashed his car — a Nissan Versa — into the side of the church. The crash caused damage to both the building and the car.

As officers investigated the situation at the church, police said they were alerted to an attempted break-in at the 7-Eleven located at 230 Central St.

A preliminary investigation showed that someone attempted to smash open the front doors of the convenience store using a fire extinguisher that had been kept inside a cabinet in the parking lot.

According to police, attempts to get into the 7-Eleven caused damage to the glass and locking mechanism on the doors. The cabinet where the fire extinguisher was kept was also allegedly damaged.

Police said the fire extinguisher was then “sprayed until it was empty, covering the parking lot and the front of the 7-Eleven building.”

Once again, police said they developed probable cause to believe that Jackson was allegedly responsible for sabotoging the convenience store’s exterior.

Police charged Jackson with arson and burglary, both Class A felonies; three counts of criminal mischief, conduct after an accident and resisting arrest, all Class A misdemeanors.

The incident remains under investigation.

Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis

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