Deadly Revenge Chase: Joyriders Killed With Two Cops Were Hunting Rival Gang After Home Was Rammed Minutes Earlier.
New details emerging from the investigation into the fatal A66 collision suggest the five young men who died alongside two police officers were not simply joyriding, but actively pursuing a rival group in the aftermath of a violent attack on a family home.
In the early hours of Saturday 22 August 2026, a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66 near Middlesbrough smashed head-on into a marked armed-response vehicle. All five occupants of the Passat — Michael Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18 — were killed, as were PC Matthew Blades, 37, a married father of two, and PC Tom Clough, 38, a former Iraq war veteran.
According to investigators, the sequence of events began roughly 40 minutes earlier. A Volvo XC60 is believed to have rammed the home of Cole Worthy’s father, Gye Worthy, twice in quick succession, causing significant damage to the property. There is no suggestion that Gye Worthy himself was involved in criminal activity. Shortly afterwards, the Passat carrying Cole and four associates was seen racing through Middlesbrough streets. Sources close to the inquiry indicate the group was searching for those responsible for the earlier attack.
Police became involved when the Passat’s cloned number plates triggered an automatic number-plate recognition camera. Officers pursued the vehicle for just under seven minutes through residential areas. When the Passat joined the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic, the chase was called off. Approximately ten seconds later, at 3.39am, the car collided with the armed-response vehicle that had been in the area to assist. The officers’ car was travelling on the correct side of the dual carriageway.
Four of the five young men in the Passat had previous criminal convictions ranging from assaulting police officers and possession of weapons or drugs to driving offences and theft. The fifth, Michael Cahill, had no recorded convictions. Cleveland Police have stated that the incident forms part of a wider investigation into serious and organised criminal activity. Multiple arrests have been made, with suspects held on suspicion of offences including participation in an organised crime group, possession of firearms and drug supply.
Both the Volvo and the Passat featured cloned plates in an apparent attempt to avoid detection. The Volvo has since been recovered. Neighbours described hearing loud impacts in the early hours and finding substantial damage to the targeted property. The National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units have joined the inquiry as detectives continue to piece together the connections between the ram-raid, the subsequent pursuit and the fatal collision.
The case has highlighted the rapid escalation from a targeted property attack to a high-speed chase ending in seven deaths. Floral tributes continue to be left for the two officers, while the circumstances leading up to the crash remain under intense scrutiny. For the families of all those killed, the emerging picture of a possible revenge mission adds a further layer of complexity to an already devastating event.