Two police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed in the early hours of Saturday when a car traveling the wrong way down the A66 collided head-on with their patrol vehicle. The five occupants of the other vehicle, identified as Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Theo Rae, 17; Cole Robert Worthy, 17; Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, were also pronounced dead at the scene.
Cleveland Police confirmed on Sunday that officers had pursued the VW Passat, believed to have cloned plates, for seven minutes before abandoning the chase due to the vehicle's dangerous driving. Approximately ten seconds after the pursuit was called off, the Passat crashed into the unmarked police car occupied by Officers Blades and Clough. This vehicle had not been involved in the pursuit but was in the area to assist with a search after the Passat's license plate triggered an ANPR camera.
PC Clough's family described him as a "hero with a fantastic sense of humour" and a dedicated officer who was "always on public duty throughout his short life." He was a former soldier who had served in the Iraq War and previously worked for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
PC Blades' widow stated that "no words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt," remembering him as "my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys." He was also known as a coach for a local under-sevens football team.
Social media posts from Saddington, 18, reportedly showed him participating in high-speed police chases in the months leading up to the crash. Other posts showed young men in balaclavas posing in cars. The incident occurred just days after five teenagers died in a similar head-on collision on the M9 motorway in Ireland, where a stolen BMW traveling the wrong way collided with another vehicle. The occupants of that BMW were also reportedly filming themselves during police pursuits.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller of Cleveland Police expressed the profound sadness felt by the force and the wider community, stating that the officers "didn't return home to their families at the end of their shift."