The Concord man who died at the scene of a head-on crash Tuesday was driving at highway speeds in a stolen car at the time of the collision, according to Concord Police. 

Nicholas Fletcher, 29, was driving a blue Mazda that struck a black Nissan on Hopkinton Road around 6:40 a.m. The Mazda was reported stolen later that day, Concord Police Lt. Marc McGonagle said. 

Fletcher, identified as a person experiencing homelessness in the city, had previously been arrested in the past for driving stolen vehicles, according to McGonagle. 

About ten minutes before the fatal crash, an officer parked at Memorial Field saw the Mazda and observed that it had an expired registration. The car drove out of the parking lot, and the officer pulled it over.

Fleeing the traffic stop, Fletcher ran over the officer’s foot, McGonagle said. Fletcher continued toward Concord High School and turned left onto Pleasant Street reaching “highway speed.”

The officer did not pursue the Mazda, and the crash occurred a few minutes later. Pleasant Street becomes Hopkinton Road near the location of the accident, which was close to St. Paul’s School and Loop Road.

Concord Police believe Fletcher lost control of the Mazda due to his high speed, which caused the crash. Whether Fletcher was under the influence of any substances is still under investigation. 

A passenger in the Mazda sustained life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the black Nissan also involved in the crash sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries. Both remain at Concord Hospital. 

Hopkinton Road, a section of Route 202, was closed most of Tuesday as police investigated the collision.