Five joyriders and two police officers have died following a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday morning. The five men in the Volkswagen Passat have been named locally as Michael Ray, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jakub Matusiak and Makai Saddington.
The police officers killed were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. All seven people were declared dead at the scene.
Police pursuit and crash details
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the group of teenagers became involved in a pursuit with two police cars chasing the 'suspicious' vehicle. Doorbell camera footage showed the vehicle driving at speed through residential streets three minutes before officers halted the chase when the vehicle turned onto the A66.
The crash happened at 3.39am when the car ploughed into the path of a different marked armed-response vehicle, which was on the correct side of the A66 and was not previously involved in the chase. Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough headquarters in tribute to their fallen colleagues, who are understood not to have been part of the pursuit.
Victims identified and tributes paid
Makai Saddington is said to have been known to police and had posted a string of TikTok videos allegedly showing him taking part in other high-speed police chases months before his death. In one clip, filmed in May, 18-year-old Saddington is allegedly seen driving an Audi at speed through a housing estate, then veering across a grassy playing field in an apparent bid to shake off officers.
Tributes have been paid online to the five who died from family and friends. The mother of Saddington's one-year-old son posted on social media: "What am I supposed to do without ur daft phone calls and u torching (sic) me life's so cruel", while friends of Cole Worthy called his death "a massive devastation." Another wrote: "Absolutely heartbroken, you are gonna be missed Cole, love u lots."
Theo Rae was described as someone taken "way too soon" who would have "done anything for anyone." Michael Ray was described as a "lovely, down to earth lad." The sister of Jakub Matusiak said she was heartbroken, saying he was her "best friend always and forever."
Similar incidents and ongoing investigation
The crash comes just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland. Masked youngsters were travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare at 2am last Sunday when the smash occurred. The occupants of the other vehicle – three sisters and a seven-year-old boy – suffered serious injuries and remain in hospital.
The investigation into the A66 incident is ongoing. The social media videos on TikTok of other high-speed chases in the lead up to the deaths remain online.
