LOWELL — A Maine murder suspect tore through Greater Lowell on Saturday morning, triggering a dangerous multi-community police pursuit that began in Lowell and ended later with a crash in New Hampshire.

Police identified the driver as 55-year-old Dane Burke, of Skowhegan, Maine, who was wanted in connection with the killing of his girlfriend, 46-year-old Nicole Jackson, also of Skowhegan, on Wednesday.

The Maine State Police said the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta ruled that Jackson died from blunt force and sharp force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide.

An alert was issued for Burke and the 2018 silver Jeep Compass with Ohio plates he was believed to be driving.

It was in Lowell where the vehicle was spotted and the pursuit began.

According to emergency radio broadcasts, a Lowell police officer reported at about 8 a.m. Saturday that he saw the Jeep on Princeton Boulevard. The officer began following the vehicle, and when he activated his lights, the driver refused to stop.

Radio traffic indicated that the Jeep headed outbound on Middlesex Street at about 45 mph as additional cruisers joined in the pursuit. An officer reported at one point that the vehicle’s windows were down and he issued verbal commands for the driver to stop, but the driver refused.

The pursuit moved into Chelmsford and then Tyngsboro along Middlesex Road, where the Jeep was clocked at about 60 mph as it passed Tyng Road.

The driver crossed the Tyngsboro Bridge before circling back to Lowell, and that is when the pursuit became particularly hazardous.

On Pawtucket Boulevard, the suspect drove in the wrong lane of travel while passing Old Ferry Road and the Rourke Bridge. Over the radio, an officer reported the driver “almost took out two cars.”

Police temporarily shut down sections of roadway to protect other drivers, and additional reports described near-collisions with civilian vehicles and at least one police cruiser.

The Jeep continued through Dracut and Methuen before entering Interstate 93 North, reaching speeds of 80 mph.

About 35 minutes into the pursuit, it was reported in an emergency radio broadcast that the vehicle crossed into New Hampshire.

According to the New Hampshire State Police, troopers were notified at about 8:30 a.m. that Lowell police officers were pursuing the man wanted in connection with Jackson’s homicide and they were approaching the state line.

Troopers joined the pursuit as the Jeep crossed into Salem, New Hampshire. The chase continued along portions of I-93, Interstate 293, and Route 114 before the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a tree on Route 13 in Dunbarton, New Hampshire.

Troopers surrounded the Jeep, and nonlethal munitions were deployed before the driver was taken into custody.

Burke suffered serious injuries in the crash and was transported by ambulance, under police escort, to a hospital, where police said he remains under law enforcement supervision.

The Jeep was seized as evidence in the Maine homicide investigation.

In addition to charges pending in Maine, Burke has been charged in New Hampshire as a fugitive from justice. Additional charges related to the pursuit are expected.

Burke will remain in New Hampshire pending extradition.

Aside from Burke, there were no injuries reported as a result of the pursuit.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.