💔 He Survived A Terrifying 100mph Wrong-Way Police Chase, But Just Months Later, His 18-Year-Old Nephew Died On The Same Road In A Shocking Fatal Collision
A 23-year-old man who once raced his car the wrong way down the same busy dual carriageway at 100mph to outrun police officers has now lost his 18-year-old nephew in an eerily similar crash that claimed two officers’ lives. The chilling parallel between the two incidents on the A66 near Middlesbrough has left families stunned, police investigators digging deeper into what appears to be a web of serious organised crime, and the nation asking why such reckless, TikTok-fueled “joyriding” is still happening in Britain in 2026.
Aaron Saddington’s court hearing in Teesside Crown Court in June was supposed to be a wake-up call. Instead, it has become a tragic mirror to the deadly events that unfolded just three months later on a Saturday morning in August. The young man who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance is now facing the devastating truth that his nephew, Makai Saddington, is one of five friends who died when their stolen Volkswagen Passat smashed head-on into a police armed-response vehicle. The two officers killed – married father PC Matthew Blades, 37, and Iraq war veteran PC Tom Clough, 38 – died instantly. Their families are reeling, and the broader question hanging over the case is whether social media platforms are turning teenagers into modern-day cowboys who treat the roads as their personal racetrack.
On May 6, at around 1am, Aaron Saddington was driving his car erratically through residential streets when unmarked police spotted him. A chase began. He ran a red light at over 50mph, then veered onto the A66 eastbound – the wrong direction – at high speed. Officers radioed for backup and followed him from the correct lane, watching in horror as he topped 100mph. Multiple patrol cars joined the pursuit in a desperate bid to prevent a mass casualty crash on this busy dual carriageway. The young driver made a run for it when finally stopped, but he was arrested without further incident. It was lucky no one died that night, prosecutors told the court. Yet the pattern of behaviour was identical to the fatal crash eight weeks later.
Just three months ago, on August 23 at 3.39am, the same stretch of the A66 became a killing ground for five young men aged between 17 and 23. The Volkswagen Passat, driven by Makai Saddington with passengers including Michael Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Cole Worthy, 17, was racing at high speed. Officers had begun a seven-minute pursuit after the car’s number plates tripped ANPR cameras. They called it off when the vehicle entered the A66. Ten seconds later, the Passat ploughed straight into a marked armed-response unit carrying PC Blades and PC Clough. Both police officers died on impact. The five passengers also perished. It was a scene of utter devastation on a quiet, well-lit road carrying hundreds of vehicles every hour.
The similarity is not lost on anyone who reads the court documents or police statements. Aaron Saddington, nephew of the deceased Makai, had been behind bars himself just months earlier for the exact same wrong-way, high-speed evasion tactic. He had previous convictions, including driving while disqualified and without insurance. Makai Saddington, meanwhile, was no stranger to the system either. Court records show he had appeared multiple times for drug offences, possession of a knife, assaulting police officers and racially aggravated harassment. He had also featured in TikTok videos showing him driving an Audi at speed across a field during a separate police chase in March. His masked friends were already known to Cleveland Police as part of what investigators now describe as “serious and organised crime gangs” linked to the fatal incident.
The tragedy began, police believe, with a gang attack on the home of Cole Worthy’s father, Gye Worthy, 39. Around 3am on the Saturday, a Volvo XC60 rammed the property twice. The neighbour who heard the first huge bang described it as “very bad damage to the house.” The second ram happened minutes later. No one in the house was involved in any criminal activity, but the incident was seen as the flashpoint. The Passat gang – allegedly including the uncle and his nephew – was reportedly pursuing the Volvo in revenge, racing through Middlesbrough streets before the pursuit turned deadly on the A66.
Since the crash, police have made multiple arrests. Nine men and three women were detained on the Sunday night. Five more followed the next day, bringing the total to 14. Two of those arrested, aged 19 and 26, have appeared in court charged with possession of a firearm, drug dealing and possession of stolen property. A third has been recalled to prison. National Crime Agency officers are now involved, working with Cleveland Police on what the force has called a “fast-moving and complex” probe into organised crime. Graffiti has appeared on the estate where the crash happened: “Rest easy boys. Never forgotten” and “RIP the boys.” A balloon release is planned tonight by masked youths in memory of Makai and his friends, a tasteless act that has only deepened the sense of national outrage.
The two officers killed were not on routine patrol. They were part of an armed response unit responding to reports of the gang activity. PC Blades was a married father of two, recently hailed as “a fantastic soldier” by colleagues. PC Clough was an Iraq war hero. The GoFundMe for their families has already raised more than £1 million. Flowers are being laid daily outside Cleveland Police headquarters in Middlesbrough. The two officers’ inquests are due to be opened tomorrow, but the coroner has adjourned the hearing.
The ripple effect has already reached high places. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered social media companies to remove videos that glorify dangerous driving. Under the Online Safety Act, which became law in October 2023, platforms are now expected to take down content that breaks the law rather than waiting for users to report it. TikTok has already deleted accounts belonging to at least two of the crash victims – Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak – after videos of them filming themselves driving recklessly or on motorbikes went viral. Other clips show drivers clocking speeds of 148mph, weaving across lanes and ramming vehicles. Hashtags like #smoked and #chased have been used to promote “thrilling” pursuits.
The Police Federation has warned that officers should not have to worry whether they will make it home safely while worrying about social media fame. “Feral youths desperate for likes on social media have baited cops into high-speed chases,” said Federation chairman Paul Williams. “Every day we can identify numerous examples of young people sensationalising dangerous driving.” The force is now saying no traffic officer will ever chase a helmetless teenager without weighing the consequences, but the culture of glorification on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat makes it harder than ever to police.
Aaron Saddington’s case, which only came to light through court documents obtained by The Sun, has become a symbol of the problem. The same dual carriageway that killed his nephew had already witnessed his own terror-driving episode. The court heard it was “lucky no one died” that May night. Yet the pattern continues. Families like the Worthy and Saddington ones are left wondering how many more lives will be lost before society wakes up. The National Crime Agency involvement suggests this is no longer just joyriding – it is part of a wider organised crime network using stolen vehicles, firearms and drugs to terrorise communities.
Investigators have already linked the Passat gang to other incidents, including a ram raid at Gye Worthy’s home and the earlier chase involving Makai’s Audi. The five men in the car had previous convictions, while Michael Cahill had none, adding another layer of complexity. Neighbourhoods in Middlesbrough have been left in shock. The huge bangs from the ram raids still echo in residents’ memories. The crash site on the A66 is now a scene of quiet mourning, with flowers placed by the roadside where the two police officers died.
The online safety push by the government is welcome, but experts say it is not enough. More needs to be done to tackle the culture that treats chasing police as a game for likes. “You can just rag a car and annoy the cops and you get loads of people watching on TikTok,” one young man allegedly told a reporter from another outlet. “It gets the adrenalin going.” That casual attitude has turned British roads into a deadly roulette wheel.
For PC Blades’ wife and PC Clough’s family, the pain is unimaginable. They have already lost husbands and fathers to a decision made by five young men who saw the road as theirs to conquer. Makai Saddington’s masked friends are now facing their own day in court, charged with the deaths of two officers and five civilians. The case will drag on, but the message is clear: the roads are not a playground for reckless teenagers, and families should not have to bury their children because of it.
The A66 has always been a major route through Teesside, carrying everything from local commuters to long-distance lorries. On that Saturday morning it became a killing zone because five young men chose speed and revenge over safety. Their uncle Aaron Saddington had done almost the same thing three months earlier on the exact same stretch. The question that now hangs over every driver, every passenger, every parent and every police officer is simple: how many more tragedies like this will it take before we stop this cycle of violence?
In the meantime, the investigation continues. More arrests are expected. The inquests will reveal every detail of that final 10 seconds. And the nation will keep watching, hearts heavy, as another chapter in Britain’s “wrong-way” road story comes to a close. The roads should be places of freedom, not fear. Until the culture of dangerous driving and social media bravado changes, the funerals will keep coming. The lives lost – two officers and five young men – will serve as a grim reminder that speed has no place on our streets when it is driven by ego, revenge or the next like.
