NORTH BERWICK, Maine – Two New Hampshire men were arrested after police say they robbed a Somersworth, N.H., gas station early Tuesday morning and led them on a high-speed chase in Maine.

Patrick Saunders, 18, of Somersworth, and Allan Nicholson, 30, of Milton, were both charged with felony aggravated reckless conduct, eluding police and being fugitives from justice in connection with a robbery at a Gulf station on Route 108 in Somersworth.

Somersworth Police Capt. Russell Timmons said police responded to the gas station at 420 Route 108 at 2 a.m. after receiving a report that two men entered the store, threatened to stab the clerk and left with an undisclosed quantity of cash and many cartons of cigarettes.

Timmons said the men allegedly took “a substantial amount of cigarettes which was mostly Marlboros and Newports” before quickly leaving the store. He added they drove off in a dark-colored, ‘90s vintage Chevrolet Blazer, which was seen turning onto Haven Hill Road.

Timmons said a Somersworth officer spotted the vehicle downtown and saw it cross the stateline into Berwick on Salmon Falls Road. He said that after driving through downtown Berwick, it turned onto Route 236.

Eventually, the vehicle made its way onto Route 9 and into North Berwick, where local officers pursued it.

Due to the early hour, North Berwick Police Chief Stephen Peasley said there was very little traffic on the roads, which helped prevent injuries.

“It was a high-speed chase and they ended up crashing their car,” Peasley said, adding they wrecked their truck after striking a tree along Route 4 in Sanford.

After the crash, Peasley said the men allegedly took off on foot. He said the department’s K9 team responded and was able to locate the pair within 15 minutes.

Officers from Sanford assisted in the chase and search while Sanford firefighters responded to the accident, Peasley said.

Peasley said the two men were held overnight in York County Jail in Alfred and are scheduled to be arraigned in York District Court Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. He said the court will set bail and begin working through the extradition process, which will send them back across the border to be charged in New Hampshire.

“Eventually, they’ll end up over here to face charges,” Timmons said.

After the arrests, Maine police found evidence from the robbery in the vehicle, which was impounded, according to police.

“The charges in New Hampshire will be specific to the robbery,” Timmons said, adding police continue to investigate.