Uncle of Dead A66 Teen Had Already Risked Lives Driving Wrong-Way at 100mph on the Exact Same Road Just Months Before Fatal Crash That Killed Seven
In the early hours of Saturday 22 August 2026, a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66 dual carriageway near South Bank in Middlesbrough collided head-on with a marked Cleveland Police armed-response vehicle. All seven people involved died at the scene: the five young men in the Passat and the two police officers in the marked car.
The officers were PC Matthew Blades, 37, a married father of two, and PC Tom Clough, 38, a former soldier who had served in Iraq. The five occupants of the Passat were named as Makai Saddington, 18; Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Theo Rae, 17; Jakub Matusiak, 23; and Cole Robert Worthy, 17.
Police had been pursuing the Passat for just under seven minutes after the vehicle, believed to be using cloned plates, was linked to earlier incidents in the Middlesbrough area, including reports of properties being rammed. Officers aborted the chase when the car entered the A66 against the flow of traffic. Approximately ten seconds later, at 03:39 BST, the Passat struck the armed-response vehicle that was travelling in the correct direction and assisting the search. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances.
Four of the five young men in the Passat had previous convictions. Makai Saddington had admitted multiple assaults on police officers, possession of a knife, and possession of a Class C drug. Others had records involving driving offences, theft, and further assaults on officers. Only Cahill had no prior convictions. Cleveland Police have described the wider investigation as focusing on serious and organised criminal activity linked to the events leading up to the collision. Multiple arrests have been made.
The case has taken on a particularly stark dimension with the revelation about Makai Saddington’s uncle. Aaron Saddington, 23, was jailed for 20 months in June 2026 after leading police on a high-speed chase along the same stretch of the A66 just three months earlier. On 6 May 2026, following reports of erratic driving, he ran a red light at more than 50 mph before joining the eastbound carriageway in the wrong direction at around 1 am. Speeds reached 100 mph while officers followed from the correct side of the road. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance. The court noted that it was fortunate no one had been killed or injured in that earlier incident.
The parallel is striking. In both cases a Saddington relative drove the wrong way on the A66 dual carriageway while attempting to evade police, placing other road users and officers in extreme danger. The uncle’s offence occurred on the same road that later claimed the life of his nephew and six others. Aaron Saddington remains in custody serving his sentence.
The tragedy has prompted widespread tributes to the two officers and raised renewed questions about the risks posed by dangerous driving, cloned plates, and the possible links between some of those involved and organised crime groups in the Teesside area. Inquests into the seven deaths are expected to open shortly. Police continue to appeal for information as their investigation into the events surrounding the crash proceeds.
