Five males killed in VW that crashed head-on with police automotive named and pictured
PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were the officers killed in the horror smash which happened on the A66 in Middlesborough yesterday.
Two brave cops died in the head-on horror(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Five ‘joyriders’ killed in a horror head-on crash after driving the wrong way down a major road and ploughing into a police car have been identified. They have been named locally as Michael Ray, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jakub Matusiak and Makai Saddington.
Two brave gun cops – PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 – were also killed in the devastating collision with a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday morning.
Both police officers and the five men in the Passat were all declared dead at the scene. The tragedy comes after similar incidents linked to an online craze in which youngsters incite police car pursuits before sharing video footage of the chases.
Makai Saddington is said to have died
Reports have also emerged that Saddington was known to police and had posted a string of TikTok videos allegedly showing him taking part in other high-speed police chases months before his death.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the group of teenagers became involved in a pursuit with two police cars chasing the ‘suspicious’ vehicle.
Other footage, captured on Ring doorbells in the local area, also showed the vehicle driving at speed through residential streets just three minutes before officers halted the chase when the vehicle turned on to the A66.
Michael Ray was described as “down to earth”(Image: Facebook)
The crash happened at 3.39am when the car ploughed into the path of a different marked armed-response vehicle, which was on the correct side of the A66, and was not previously involved in the chase.
Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough headquarters in tribute to their fallen colleagues, who are understood not to have been part of the pursuit.
The social media videos on TikTok, of other high speed chases in the lead up to the deaths, remain online. In one clip, filmed in May, it is alleged 18-year-old Saddington is seen driving in an Audi at speed through a housing estate.
Theo Rae (left) and Cole Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday night(Image: Facebook)
The vehicle is then seen veering across a grassy playing field in an apparent bid to shake off officers. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Tributes have now been paid online to the five who died from family and friends.
The mother of Mr Saddington’s one-year-old son posted on social media: “What am I supposed to do without ur daft phone calls and u torching (sic) me life’s so cruel”, while friends of Cole Worthy called his death “a massive devastation.”
Another wrote: “Absolutely heartbroken, you are gonna be missed Cole, love u lots.”
Jakub Matusiak was also said to have been in the car(Image: Facebook)
Theo Rae is another who was named locally as a victim. One wrote Theo was “taken way too soon”, describing him as someone who would have “done anything for anyone”.
Another victim, named as Michael Ray was described as a “lovely, down to earth lad.”
The sister of Jakub Matusiak said she was heartbroken saying he was her “best friend always and forever.”
The crash comes just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland. Masked youngsters were travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare at 2am last Sunday when the smash occurred.
The occupants of the other vehicle – three sisters and a seven-year-old boy – suffered serious injuries in the crash and remain in hospital.
