Five who died in A66 police chase crash that killed two officers are pictured
Five young men who were killed in a major crash after a car was driven the wrong way down a main road have been named and pictured for the first time.
A Volkswagen Passat, which had been going in the wrong direction along the A66 near Middlesbrough, then collided with a police vehicle on Saturday.
On-duty officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, both died in the collision, Cleveland Police tragically confirmed.
Following tributes being posted online and shared with LADbible, the other five people involved, Cole Worthy, Jakub Hewitt, Makai Saddington, Michael Ray and Theo Rae have all now been named locally.
Advert
Pc Blades and Pc Clough were not involved in the earlier pursuit, but had been travelling in a marked armed response vehicle in the correct direction on the A66 when the collision occurred at 3.39am in South Bank on Saturday (22 August). They have not yet been pictured.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash following a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
A suspicious vehicle, with the teenagers inside, had earlier been spotted by Cleveland Police Officers, triggering a pursuit before the car entered the A66 and collided with Pc Blades and Pc Clough’s police car, the IOPC said.
Ring doorbell footage published by LADbible appeared to show police cars following the Passat minutes before the crash happened.
Memorial posts for the teenagers were then posted across social media on Sunday by family members and friends.
A balloon release was announced in memory of Makai, as one tribute read: "Rip makai my lad u will forever be missed my lad didn’t think u be gone this soon brother always."
A balloon release for 25 August was also organised by the family of Theo Rae. One tribute posted on Facebook read: "Heartbreaking isn’t even the word for what is happening today," as another read: "I’ll forever cherish all out laughs and memories close to me.
"Rest in peace Theo until we meet again."
Further posts were shared in memory of Cole Worthy, with a balloon release also organised for Monday (24 August). One person penned: "RIP Cole what a funny lad you was. Always made us laugh you have left a massive devastation."
Michael Ray was also among those who died in the major crash on Saturday (22 August). Just a day before the collision, he posted a video of him in the gym, writing he was 'doing this for my dad'.
"RIP my mate keep it lit up there what a shock this is," one tribute read, followed by another who penned: "You are at peace now mate. Had our ups had our downs, but we always come on top."
Elsewhere tributes were also paid to Jakub Hewitt, who also died in the head-on crash.
"Cannot believe it... rest in peace Jakub was like a big brother to us. Your loud mouth will be missed very much," one person shared on social media.
In a tribute, another wrote: "Truly the most devastating news. Rest in peace Jakub you will be missed by everyone who knows you."
'Brave' police officers remembered
Tributes have also since poured in for the two 'brave' police officers, PC Blades and Clough, who died.
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.”
Meanwhile, Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said on Sunday morning the 'whole community is reeling here today'.
She told Sky News: “I want to particularly put on record my tribute to our incredibly brave police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, because we know our police officers every day, every night put themselves into action to protect our communities, to keep them safe.
“And I want to acknowledge their bravery, but I also want to recognise that we’ve lost seven lives tragically and the whole community is obviously in shock and devastation.”
Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville said: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today.
“Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.”
The tragedy prompted other police forces to send their condolences. Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the loss of two dedicated officers 'is felt profoundly across the entire policing family'.
Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner said 'the impact of this tragedy will be felt by many across the country', while the Metropolitan Police said the loss of Pc Blades and Pc Clough would be 'acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers'.
Topics: UK News
James Holt