Driver Deceased After Crash on Route 101 in Candia; Lanes Closed for 3.5 Hours

September 24, 2025

By: Scanner Alerts Media Group

An Auburn man died after his SUV struck an unoccupied dump truck on Route 101 eastbound in Candia early Wednesday. Good Samaritans pulled the driver from the burning vehicle before first responders arrived.

At 6:01 a.m., State Troopers responded to an automatic crash notification near mile marker 67.2. Passing drivers reported a crash involving a 2019 Nissan Rogue and a parked 2001 Mack dump truck on the right shoulder. Troopers determined the dump truck had been disabled and unoccupied at the time of the collision. The SUV’s driver, identified as Alexander C. Smith, 25, of Auburn, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Fire personnel extinguished the vehicle fire.

Due to the severity of the crash, the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit and the Unmanned Aerial Systems Unit responded to assist. All eastbound lanes were closed and traffic diverted off Exit 3 for approximately three and a half hours; all lanes reopened at 9:33 a.m.

Troop A was assisted by Troop G, Candia police and fire, Auburn police and fire, Raymond Fire Department, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Kevin LeDoux at Kevin.P.LeDoux@dos.nh.gov.

Credit: New Hampshire State Police