Officer hurt in bridge collision
Fredericton Police Force says driver rammed police cruiser intentionally after early-morning pursuit Sunday; male suspect facing charges, including dangerous driving, flight from police
The Princess Margaret Bridge was closed to traffic Sunday morning after a driver police were pursuing rammed into a cruiser and injured an officer, the Fredericton Police Force reported.
In a news release Sunday, the city police force said it had a 23-year-old man in custody following an early-morning pursuit that culminated in an intentional crash on the Princess Margaret Bridge earlier that day.
“At approximately 5 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2026, a patrol officer observed a suspicious vehicle driving erratically on Riverside Drive. Police followed the vehicle onto the Princess Margaret Bridge and attempted a traffic stop,” the release said.
“The driver failed to stop, passed another police vehicle and crossed into oncoming traffic, where the vehicle collided with a responding police unit. The driver continued to try and evade police before being safely taken into custody.”
The suspect driver was uninjured, the police force said, but one officer sustained non‑life‑threatening injuries, for which he was taken to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital for treatment.
“A passenger in the suspect vehicle was not injured and was released at the scene without charges,” the release said.
The police force said the suspect, who remains in custody pending a court appearance, will face several charges, including flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, breach of a court-ordered driving prohibition and breach of probation.
The incident closed the bridge for about three hours Sunday morning. Also attending the scene on the bridge were ambulance personnel, members of the Fredericton Fire Department, two operators and officers with the police force’s forensic collision analysis team and forensic identification services unit, the release said.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.