Cleveland Police have confirmed that four of the five men who died in the Volkswagen Passat involved in the A66 crash had previous convictions, and that the vehicle was linked to another car seen ramming properties in Middlesbrough. The crash killed seven people, including two police officers, and has led to 12 arrests.
Arrests and vehicles linked to organised crime
Nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested on suspicion of several offences, ranging from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group. The investigation follows reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously before the incident.
The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was seen ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second, the Passat involved in the crash, is understood to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo. Both vehicles had cloned number plates to avoid detection but were picked up by the force's automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo has been traced and recovered on Teesside.
Previous convictions of those who died
Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who died in the Passat, had no previous convictions. However, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 16, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, all had criminal records.
Saddington pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to a second PC on June 9. He appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court on July 17 where he admitted the two charges and received a 12-month conditional discharge, and was ordered to pay £50 in compensation. He also admitted possession of a controlled class C drug, possession of a knife in a public place on May 31 last year, and three charges of assaulting a police officer on the same date.
Worthy had used threatening abusive language to cause harassment, alarm and distress in 2024. He also admitted failing to surrender to custody on May 14, 2025, pleaded guilty to common assault of a police officer on April 27, 2025, and admitted driving without a licence, using a vehicle without insurance, driving without reasonable consideration and driving while using a mobile phone in June this year.
Matusiak admitted using a vehicle without insurance and driving without a licence on March 22 this year. Rae had 12 shoplifting offences on his record, dating from October 21, 2023 to May 4, 2024. He also admitted three offences of theft from a motor vehicle, one theft of vehicle, possession of cannabis and aggravated vehicle taking, all in 2024, and another charge of aggravated vehicle taking on January 2, 2025, and pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer on April 30 this year.
Social media content and political reaction
A video posted on the TikTok account believed to belong to Saddington in 2025 showed him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police pursuit. The 94-second clip showed a car being driven on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, with Saddington as a rear-seat passenger. Another video posted by the same account appeared to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph, and later a different car is set on fire.
The Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to Kyiv: “Anybody who glorifies dangerous driving is doing something that’s truly reprehensible.” A Downing Street spokeswoman added: “The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful. We have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy) is clear that it should be removed in line with their legal obligations.” She added that Ofcom has the Government's “full backing to take tough action” against platforms which fail in their legal duties.
Defence minister Luke Pollard told BBC Radio 5 Live he wants to see social media platforms “step up”. He said: “We’ve communicated to those social media platforms that have been hosting content that celebrates this type of dangerous behaviour on our roads to take down that content. I think we all need to give the police time, but there’s also things we can be doing in the meantime to make sure that the internet is a safer place for everyone, that doesn’t celebrate and load views and therefore financial incentives on people to generate such awful content.”
Tributes and ongoing investigation
PC Tom Clough's commanding officer from his time serving with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) paid tribute to his “warmth, humour and authenticity”. Ch Supt Richard Clark said: “Tom was the epitome of professionalism, bringing dedication, skill and commitment to every. Yet what made Tom truly special was his personality. Alongside his professional excellence, he possessed a fun-loving, cheeky nature and a wit that could lift spirits even during the most demanding shifts.”
Carmel College in Darlington, County Durham, confirmed that PC Blades had worked as an English teacher there before joining the force. They said: “He was a much-loved and highly valued member of staff at Carmel before leaving teaching to begin a new vocation of service as a police officer.”
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said: “This has been a fast moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity. The events of that tragic night will have a lasting and profound impact on the Cleveland area and the communities we seek to protect. Our robust response will continue in the weeks and months to come, as we continue to tackle those that seek to cause harm to our communities and tackle serious and organised crime.”
The police watchdog confirmed that the VW Passat was pursued by Cleveland Police officers until seconds before the crash. Cleveland Police said that five people had been arrested on suspicion of being in an organised crime group in connection with the crash inquiry. Three men, aged 19, 24 and 35, were also suspected of being in possession of an offensive weapon. A 30-year-old woman was held on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a man, 21, held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, was also remanded on recall to prison.
