The funeral for one of the young men killed in the horror A66 crash saw hundreds line the streets of Middlesbrough, including some wearing balaclavas and face coverings
The streets of Middlesbrough were lined with hundreds of mourners for the funeral of one of the five men who died in the horror A66 crash.
A memorial event for 23-year-old Jakub Matusiak took place at St John the Evangelist Church in South Bank earlier today (4 September), after the horrific crash on August 22 where he was one of five travelling the wrong way down the A66 before colliding with a police car. The crash killed all the men on board and two police officers in the cop car.
Attendees could be seen wearing black and orange, reportedly Jakubs’s favourite colours, while others sported face-coverings and balaclavas. Jakub’s body was transported through the streets of Middlesborough in a coffin engraved with the word “son” and decorated with black and orange flowers, while two white horses, a white Rolls-Royce and a Lamborghini also featured in the procession.
Hundreds of friends, family and locals could be seen lining the streets for hours in the build up to the event, with spots along the procession route detailed with floral tributes and photos.
The council reportedly closed several roads in the area in anticipation of the procession, with schools in the area also closing early in anticipation of the traffic and transport disruptions caused by the event., with South Bank Primary School saying they had done so “to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils”.
Cleveland police also warned locals to expect delays on the roads in the area throughout the afternoon.
Jakub was one of five young men killed when the Volkswagen Passat they were travelling in collided with a police vehicle on the A66 on August 22. Police have said the Passat was travelling in the wrong direction when the horror collision took place.
The crash also killed PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38.
The other men in the Passat who died were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, and Makai Saddington, 18.
In the days in the aftermath of the crash, hundreds attended a memorial for Jakub where orange balloons were released into the sky. The headline grabbing event also saw round 20 masked youths ride quad bikes a around a field and fire flares into the air.
A separate vigil for Cahill saw cars driven around a field before being set alight. Friday’s funeral, however, centred on Jakub’s family and friends as hundreds gathered to say their final farewells.