Seven Dead, Including Two Officers, in Middlesbrough Police Chase Crash

Seven people died in a collision on the A66 in Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday, including two police officers and five men in a Volkswagen Passat.

PCs Matthew Blades, 38, and Tom Clough, 37, died when their marked armed response vehicle, traveling on the correct side of the dual carriageway, was struck head-on by the Passat, which was traveling the wrong way. The five men in the Passat were locally named as Michael Ray, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jakub Matusiak, and Makai Saddington, 18.

Mr. Saddington had previously posted TikTok videos appearing to show high-speed police chases. The crash occurred at 3:39 a.m. in South Bank, near Middlesbrough. Cleveland Police officers had spotted a suspicious vehicle, and a pursuit began. Ring doorbell footage shows the Volkswagen driven at speed at 3:36 a.m. The police vehicle carrying Pc Blades and Pc Clough was understood not to have been part of the initial pursuit.

Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough headquarters in tribute to their colleagues. 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. The families of the five people in the Volkswagen are receiving support from officers. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was devastated to hear about the crash, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed her thoughts for all affected.

A section of the A66 remains closed in both directions, and a Section 60 order, granting additional stop and search powers, is in place near the crash site until 7:15 p.m.