Pursuit 'aborted' seconds before crash killed seven
Owen Humphreys/PA WirePolice aborted the pursuit of a car seconds before it crashed while going the wrong way down a dual carriageway, killing all five men aboard and two officers, investigators have said.
Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17, died when a Volkswagen Passat struck a Cleveland Police vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who were on the correct side of the road and were helping search for the car, were also killed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the force had been pursuing the Passat following reports of "numerous incidents" linked to it.
The watchdog, which launched an immediate investigation into the crash, said the Passat was believed to be using cloned registration plates which activated an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) camera.
Analysis of footage from one of the police vehicles showed the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat travelled on to the wrong side of the A66, at which point officers "aborted" it, the IOPC said.
The pursuing officers continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway but approximately 10 seconds later, at about 03:39 BST, the Passat collided with the marked armed response vehicle which was "in the area to assist in a search" for the car, a spokesman said.
Security footage from a house on Lime Road in Middlesbrough appears to show a car being pursued by police vehicles three minutes before the crash.
When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory for the case to be referred to the IOPC.
Its director of engagement, Derrick Campbell, said the watchdog recognised the "devastating impact" the crash had on Cleveland Police and the "wider policing community".
He said: "We have obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log and in-car footage of the incident.
"Work is ongoing to obtain additional material.
"IOPC investigators will continue to review and analyse all the evidence available to us."
Social MediaA video posted on a TikTok account believed to belong to Makai Saddington in March 2025 showed him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police pursuit. The video has since been deleted.
BBC Verify anyalysed the one minute 34 second-long clip, which showed the car driving on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, with Saddington a rear-seat passenger.
Another video posted by the same account, also since deleted, appears to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph.
Then, later in the video, a different car is set on fire. The passengers in this video are not identifiable.
On Saturday, Chief Constable Victoria Fuller told a news conference it was an "incredibly sad day for Cleveland", adding: "No-one should leave their home and not return safely."
Fuller said she and her deputy chief constable visited the officers' families to "offer our condolences, support one another, and begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss".
Politicians, including the prime minister and home secretary, have remembered the officers, with Andy Burnham saying he was "devastated" by the news.
The Great North Air Ambulance said it "will be felt across our communities and among all those who responded and supported the emergency response".
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said it was "devastating" to think about the grief of the families involved.
"There were seven lives cut short needlessly in the early hours of yesterday morning and that's a tragedy for the community here, it's a tragedy for the Cleveland Police family. Everybody today is really mourning the loss of those lives."
She paid tribute to the "bravery" of the officers who died and said "no-one should not come home to their families at the end of their shift."
Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville said the loss of the two officers was "unfathomable", adding: "Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today."
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said it was important to let the IOPC do its investigation.
"I would advise anybody who has opinions or hearing things on social media to make sure that misinformation doesn't spread and we let the IOPC do its work," he said.
The section of the A66 - the major artery through Teesside - between Eston Road and Normanby Road will remain closed until Monday while repairs are carried out on the carriageway.