PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire — A May 29 fight inside Gilley’s PM Lunch in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that led to a stabbing outside the Fleet Street eatery, began with a hot-sauce squirting incident, police said Friday, while announcing the arrests of two alleged combatants.

The fight was reported at 12:06 a.m., when someone from Gilley’s reported “a war” inside the restaurant had spilled onto Fleet Street, according to the public police log. One man was stabbed in the abdomen and required surgery, according to public safety officials. Another suffered a head injury, was treated at the hospital, then released.





Police announced Friday that Ethan Fishbaugh, 27, of Kittery, Maine, is now charged with four counts of felony second-degree assault, a felony alleging he falsified physical evidence and four misdemeanor counts of simple assault. Police said the charges allege Fishbaugh stabbed Nicholas Abraham, 27, of Portsmouth.

The second-degree assault charges allege Fishbaugh knowingly and recklessly caused serious bodily injury by stabbing Abraham with a knife. Fishbaugh is also alleged to have purposely concealed a knife to impair the police investigation and to have punched Abraham in the head.

Abraham is charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and criminal threatening, both of which are being brought as Class B charges, which do not carry with them the possibility of incarceration. The charges allege Abraham squirted Fishbaugh with hot sauce and placed Fishbaugh in fear of imminent physical contact by chasing him out of Gilley’s while Fishbaugh was attempting to leave.

Abraham turned himself in on a warrant and was released on $1,200 personal recognizance bail, police said. He has a scheduled arraignment date of June 29 at 8:30 a.m. in the Rockingham County Superior Court.

Police said Fishbaugh turned himself in on a warrant Wednesday and was released on $10,000 cash bail. Fishbaugh has a scheduled arraignment date of June 29 at 8:30 a.m. in the Superior Court.

The county attorney’s office is prosecuting both cases, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Portsmouth police detective Erik Widerstrom at (603) 610-7542.

Anonymous tips can be made through Seacoast Crime Stoppers by calling (603) 431-1199, online at seacoastcrimestoppers.com, or by or using the “P3” phone app in the Apple App Store or Google Play. Rewards of up to $1,000 may be paid information leading to arrests or indictments.

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