“THEIR SON WAS NOT TO BLAME?” — THEN A NEW DETAIL EMERGED BEFORE THE A66 CRASH

At first, the backlash was fierce.

After seven people died in the devastating A66 collision near Middlesbrough, some relatives of the five young men in the Volkswagen Passat publicly questioned the police response.

The criticism was immediate.

But then investigators uncovered another piece of the story — one that placed the fatal journey in a very different context.

A House Was Rammed Before the Crash

Cole Worthy, 17, was one of the five young men who died when the Passat travelled the wrong way along the A66 and collided head-on with a marked Cleveland Police vehicle.

The crash also claimed the lives of PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38.

But investigators later revealed that a property belonging to Cole Worthy’s father had been rammed by another vehicle shortly before the fatal collision.

Police had already received reports of multiple vehicles being driven dangerously around Middlesbrough.

One of those vehicles, a Volvo XC60, was reportedly seen ramming properties.

There is no evidence that Cole’s father was involved in criminal activity.

Why Were the Five Young Men in the Passat?

That discovery raised a crucial question.

Why did Cole Worthy and the four other young men get into the Passat shortly before the fatal journey?

According to reports, they may have set out after Cole’s father’s property was targeted.

The circumstances surrounding what happened next remain under investigation.

What is known is that the Passat had been pursued by police for just under seven minutes after officers received intelligence connected to the vehicle.

The car then entered the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic.

The pursuit was aborted.

But only around 10 seconds later, the Passat collided head-on with the police vehicle carrying PCs Blades and Clough.

Seven Lives Lost in Seconds

All five occupants of the Passat died:

Cole Robert Worthy, 17
Theo Rae, 17
Makai Saddington, 18
Michael Robert Cahill, 23
Jakub Matusiak, 23

The two officers in the police vehicle also died.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the police response.

Importantly, the two officers who died were not involved in the original pursuit. They had been called to assist officers searching for the Passat.

The Story Became More Complicated

The revelation about Cole’s father’s home did not erase the questions surrounding the Passat.

Nor did it establish that the five young men were innocent of everything that happened before the collision.

Four of the five had previous criminal convictions, according to police and court reporting, and investigators have examined possible links to serious and organised criminal activity in the events leading up to the crash.

But it did add a new layer to a story that initially appeared much simpler.

This was not simply a story about five young men suddenly appearing on the wrong side of the A66.

There had been a chain of events beforehand.

A property had been rammed.

Multiple vehicles had reportedly been driving dangerously.

Police had launched a pursuit.

And then, in a matter of seconds, seven families lost someone they loved.

The Question That Remains

The IOPC has obtained officers’ initial accounts, the incident log and in-car footage as part of its investigation.

The precise circumstances surrounding the pursuit — and whether anything could have been done differently — remain matters for investigators.

That is why claims that either side is solely responsible should be treated with caution until the investigation is complete.

What cannot be disputed is the final outcome:

Seven people died on the A66.

Two were police officers responding to an incident.

Five were young men travelling in a car that had entered the carriageway in the wrong direction.

And now, as investigators reconstruct the minutes before the collision, every new piece of evidence has the potential to change how the tragedy is understood.