PCs killed in A66 crash were heroes, say families

Two police officers who died when a car travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle have been hailed as heroes by their families.

PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat, which officers had been pursuing until seconds before, collided with their marked armed response car on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The Passat's occupants - Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17 - also died.

In tributes released by Cleveland Police, PC Clough's family said he had been "willing to help anyone", while PC Blades' wife described him as "loved beyond words".

"No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt," she said, adding that he had been a "beloved husband" and the "most devoted father" to their two young sons who would grow up knowing what an "incredible" dad he had been.

"He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness," she said.

"The pain of losing him is beyond words, and our lives will never be the same.

"Neither will the love he gave us ever fade.

"He may have left this world committed to the duty he believed in, but his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave to his family."

She ended the tribute to her husband: "Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad."

PC Clough's family said he had had a "fantastic sense of humour", jumping "into action whenever needed". They added that he had been their "hero", always "willing to help anyone for any reason".

They also said he had "proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place" and had always been "on public duty throughout his short life".

In other tributes, a man who had known PC Clough posted on social media that he had been a "true friend, fantastic soldier and I have no doubt even better police officer".

Seaton Carew FC, where PC Blades had recently become a coach and was preparing for his first season with its under-sevens team, said the officer and his family were "much loved members" of the club.

FC Hartlepool, where PC Blades had coached the under-10s team, said he had been a "role model, mentor [and] friend" whom the children had "looked up to and admired".

"His kindness, patience, and infectious personality made him loved by all who had the privilege of knowing him," the club added.

Carmel College in Darlington, where PC Blades taught English before joining the police, remembered him as an "intelligent, kind and approachable teacher" who "gave generously of himself to the young people in his care".

By Monday morning, more than £264,000 had been pledged for the officers' families in an online fundraiser set up by Cleveland Police Federation.

It said the two officers had "paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty".

"They leave behind heartbroken loved ones who will struggle to come to terms with the loss of their loved one," the federation said, adding the organisation would support the families "at this unfathomable moment" with the money to be used "as they so wish".

Earlier a group of police officers laid floral tributes at the police cordon on Eston Road.

Some removed their hats and bowed their heads and took a brief moment of silence to remember their colleagues.

They spoke briefly to other officers at the scene before leaving, with some hugging each other as they walked away.

Local residents Elisia and Vincent Haarhoff also went to the scene to express their solidarity with the police.

"No family deserves that," Elisia said, adding: "God bless all the families, honestly.

"We wanted to come... [the police here have] always been so lovely."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the crash, said the officers who died had been "in the area to assist in a search" for the Passat.

Cleveland Police had received reports linking the car, which was believed to be using cloned registration plates that activated an ANPR camera, to "numerous incidents", the watchdog said.

Officers were pursuing it for almost seven minutes before the Passat turned the wrong way on to the A66, at which point officers "aborted " the pursuit,the IOPC spokesman said.

About 10 seconds later, at 03:39 BST, the car hit the officers' vehicle which was on the correct side of the dual carriageway, the IOPC 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."

A 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 analysed 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.

The government told TikTok and other social media companies to take down content featuring a social media trend showing people driving the wrong way down roads.

Defence minister Luke Pollard told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We've communicated to those social media platforms that have been hosting content that celebrates this type of dangerous behaviour on our roads to take down that content.

"I think we all need to give the police time, but there's also things we can be doing in the meantime to make sure that the internet is a safer place for everyone, that doesn't celebrate and load views and therefore financial incentives on people to generate such awful content."

Pollard said he wanted social media companies to "step up".

"It's one of the reasons they've argued against some of the regulations, saying they can police themselves," he said.

"Well this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it."

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said the section of A66 in South Bank between Eston Road and Normanby Road would remain closed until later on Monday while repairs were carried out on the carriageway.

Follow BBC Tees on X,Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Tees on BBC Sounds.