It was a harrowing 25 minutes for a woman and child when a Maine man carjacked their SUV parked in Hampton Beach Friday morning.

The Dodge Nitro was parked on the north side of the Underwood Memorial Bridge near Hampton Beach State Park around 11:55 a.m. when it was stolen by David Tayes, 46, of Baldwin, Maine, according to Hampton Deputy Police Chief Alex Reno.

Tayes drove south over the bridge on Route 1A into Seabrook at a very high rate of speed that endangered the public, adult, and infant, according to Reno.  When they stopped for the light at Route 286 at the Massachusetts border, Reno said the woman was able to put the car into park. When the woman told Tayes she was calling 911, he exited the vehicle and took off on foot.

The woman headed back to Hampton Beach State Park and was unharmed. Reno said Tayes did not know the woman. Her identity was not disclosed.

Seabrook Police located Tayes around 12:20 p.m. and took him into custody.

Map showing the route from the Hampton Beach State Park to Route 286 in Seabrook
Map showing the route from the Hampton Beach State Park to Route 286 in Seabrook (Google Maps)
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He was turned over to Hampton Police, who charged him with four felony charges, alleging two counts of kidnapping, one count of reckless conduct, and one count of theft of a motor vehicle.

"Great job by all the officers involved in apprehending this suspect. We’re grateful that nobody was hurt during this incident," Seabrook Police said in a tweet.

Tayes is being held at the Rockingham County Jail on preventative detention. He will be arraigned at Rockingham County Superior Court Monday.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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