Police: Woman Flees After Crash, Leaves Injured Child Behind

NASHUA, NH (CBS) - Shocking new video out of Nashua, New Hampshire shows a wild crash - followed by the driver allegedly fleeing, leaving a young child behind.

Nashua Police said around 1:45 Tuesday afternoon, an officer working a distracted driving enforcement grant saw a woman using her cell phone while driving. He said he tried to pull her over on Amherst Street, but she sped up. The officer called off the pursuit due to safety concerns.

"I don't know if she thought they were still chasing her because she kept going. She had to have been going 90 mph. It sounded like an explosion," said witness Pam LeDuc.

LeDuc and her boyfriend came running out of their Amherst Street home to find a car had crashed into the business next door. The damage wasn't the most frightening part.

"We see the lady getting out of the car; just as I rounded the corner her little boy was falling out the backseat," she added.

Police say the 32-year-old driver Tracey Pelletier took off running. Heart-wrenching video captured on a nearby surveillance camera shows a six-year-old boy left behind. He appears confused and desperate to catch up to the woman.

"He was crying, he was scared. Wanted his mom. He just kept saying, 'Ow.' His heart was racing," LeDuc said.

While emergency responders treated the little boy and cleared the crash, investigators say Pelletier was found and arrested in a nearby home.

"I have three kids. Nine grandchildren. I could never in a million years imagine doing something like that to any one of them. It's sickening. I don't even know who she was. I just can't believe she did that," LeDuc said.

Pelletier, of Nashua, was charged with Disobeying an Officer, Conduct after an Accident, Reckless Conduct, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Resisting Detention, Criminal Trespass, all Class A Misdemeanors. She was also cited for violations of Operating after Suspension, and Use of Mobile Electronic Devices while Driving.

A Class A Misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, exclusive of fines. A Violation is punishable by a fine no more than $1000.00 as designated by the court.