TikTok footage has emerged showing one of the men who died in the A66 Teesside crash filming himself driving dangerously in the months prior to the tragedy. The video, uploaded in May, appears to show 23-year-old Jacob Matusiak at the wheel, accompanied by the caption: 'Unfortunately I'm not a nonchalant boyfriend'.
The clip, seemingly recorded by the driver himself, shows a car speeding through a residential area in broad daylight, before veering onto a grass area in the middle of a housing estate. The vehicle appears to head along a path as the driver steers with the hand not holding the camera.
Fatal Collision on the A66
Mr Matusiak was among seven people who lost their lives in the early hours of Saturday when a car travelling the wrong way along the A66 near Middlesbrough collided head-on with a vehicle carrying two police officers. The group of young men in the car have been identified as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18.
Both officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and his colleague Tom Clough, 38, and the five men travelling in the VW Passat were pronounced dead at the scene. Police had been pursuing the Passat following reports of "numerous incidents" linked to the vehicle. Film from one of the police cars revealed the chase lasted slightly under seven minutes before the Passat drove on to the wrong carriageway of the A66, at which stage officers "aborted" it, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) stated.
Chase and Collision Timeline
Ring doorbell footage at 3.36am captures the VW Passat speeding through Lime Road in Middlesbrough. Merely three minutes after the chase was recorded on camera, at 3.39am, the vehicle collided with another armed-response vehicle, which was travelling on the correct carriageway of the A66.
Clips uploaded to a TikTok account thought to belong to Makai Saddington in March 2025 depicted him and four others participating in what seems to be a police pursuit. The footage depicts the vehicles driving across a field and has subsequently been removed.
Tributes to Officers and Victims
PC Clough's family paid an emotional tribute to the 'hero' officer on Sunday. They said: "He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason. Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life."
PC Blades' wife said on Sunday evening "no words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt". She described him as "my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys". She added: "He was an adored son and brother, a perfect son-in-law, and the most fun uncle. He was loved beyond words by all his family and friends, and his loss has left a space that can never be filled."
Community Response and Investigation
A GoFundMe page was established for the officers' families and has already collected more than £220,000. The crash occurred a week after five teenagers lost their lives in Ireland following a head-on collision on a motorway. The masked youngsters were travelling in the wrong direction along the M9 in a stolen BMW at 2am last Sunday.
In the wake of the A66 collision, family members and friends of the young people have paid heartfelt tributes. The sister of Mr Matusiak described her heart as "broken", referring to her brother as her "best friend always and forever". Mr Cahill was remembered as a "lovely, down to earth lad", while Mr Rae was said to have a "heart of gold", being described as someone who would have "done anything for anyone".
Balloon releases have been planned in their honour on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, at various locations, including South Bank. One tribute, dedicated to all five, read: "We all knew use and knew use had hearts of gold and most loyalist lads." The stretch of the A66 remains shut while repair works are undertaken, with reopening anticipated on Monday.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said it was vital to allow the IOPC to conduct 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.
