Five young people killed in A66 crash named
Investigators are continuing to look into what happened in South Bank early yesterday morning
Five of the seven people killed in a crash near Middlesbrough which involved a car driving the wrong way down the A66 have been named.
Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 16, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18 all died when their Volkswagen Passat collided with a marked police armed response vehicle on the A66 early yesterday morning (Saturday 22nd August 2026).
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were also killed in the collision and had been driving in the correct direction.
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “Family Liaison Officers are continuing to work with the families all of those who sadly lost their lives in the collision.”
Tributes are continuing to be paid to the victims at the scene of the crash in South Bank.
Seaton Carew Football Club have paid tribute to Matthew Blades, who was one of their coaches.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the lead-up to the crash at 3.39am on Saturday in South Bank, Middlesborough, after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
Officers had spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with a police car, the watchdog said.
It is understood the police vehicle Pc Blades and Pc Clough were travelling in was not part of the pursuit.
Ex-Met officer Mr Wettone told the Press Association that colleagues “all know each other” in the smaller UK forces he has worked with.
He said: “If I bump into an ex-Met officer then within within 30 seconds we’ll know someone together, we’ll have a common common link.
“In forces like Cleveland, they will literally know most people.”
He believes the impact of their colleagues’ deaths will be “hitting those officers today”, telling PA: “It’s only when we come away from the police building and… take our uniform off, then we start thinking about what’s happened on our shift.
“It’s not until afterwards when you get home, often, that you think about what you’ve dealt with during your shift.”
In a statement to reporters on Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”
The Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey, who represents areas including Hartlepool, Redcar and Stockton, told Sky News: “It’s my home, it’s where I’m from, and everybody knows everybody else.
“It is a small place, and the force is a really tight-knit family, really, and I think it will have a big impact on them.”
Mr Storey also warned against social media speculation, telling the outlet: “The IOPC will do their work, the force will do their work, and that will give an official view of what’s happened.
“Social media can be quite dangerous when rumours get spread around, and we need to make sure that the information is correct.”
Meanwhile MP Ms Turley paid condolences to the deceased and said the “whole community is reeling here today” on Sunday morning.
Cleveland Police is a “close-knit” force and a “police family”, she added.
The tragedy prompted other police forces to send their condolences, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sussex Police and the Met.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear about the crash, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts were with all those affected.
Ring doorbell footage published by several websites, which appears to have been taken on Lime Road, Middlesbrough, minutes before the crash, shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by police cars.