Man dressed as Grinch veers off New Hampshire roadway on Christmas, police say
By Shaun Ganley
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EXETER, New Hampshire (WCVB) — Police in New Hampshire say a man dressed in a Grinch costume veered off a road on Christmas night and struck a sign and mailbox at an event venue in Exeter.
Exeter police, fire and rescue personnel responded to The Word Barn at 66 Newfields Road just before 6 p.m. on Monday.
Police arrived at the scene and discovered the driver’s door was open, and the operator of the SUV was wearing a full Grinch costume with his feet out of the vehicle on the ground.
According to police, the driver, a 31-year-old from Exeter, was traveling south on Newfields Road when he became distracted near a curve in the road and his vehicle went off the roadway and damaged the sign for The Wood Barn, a mailbox and several lights located along the path in the front yard.
“Imagine our surprise when we raced outside to assist and found… the Grinch!?!” The Word Barn wrote in a social media post. “Can’t make this stuff up.”
Police said the vehicle sustained significant front-end damage along with a smashed windshield and broken rear driver’s side window.
“The driver door was open, and there was the Grinch, in full costume, head to toe, sitting there, looking at his phone, talking to someone actually, and telling them that he had just gotten in an accident,” Ben Johnson, co-owner of The Word Barn, told WMUR.
The Grinch told police he was not hurt but was transported to a nearby hospital to be checked out.
Marjorie Poore, the mother of the man dressed up as the Grinch, told WMUR that her son had dressed up to bring holiday presents and cheer to his niece and nephews.
Johnson said the crash caused approximately $10,000 in damages to his property.
The crash remains under investigation, according to police.
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