A66 crash fundraisers combine to raise £1m for two officers killed in tragedy

The combined funds for the families of the two police officers who died in the A66 tragedy has raised £1m. PC Matt Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, going the wrong way down the A66 at South Bank, hit a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle heading in the opposite direction at 03:39 BST on Saturday.

Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy, both 17, died at the scene in the Passat.

Cleveland Police Federation set up a GoFundme page for the families of PC Blades and PC Clough which has raised £955,682. It will receive another £45,302 raised by the Pocket Sergeant appeal - also on GoFundMe - taking the total over the £1m mark.

The police federation appeal was launched with the message: "They were both dedicated and committed Police Officers who left their families and went to work to serve their community and protect the public. "Tragedy struck these two brave Cleveland Police colleagues in the early hours of 22nd August 2026 - and they paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. "They did not return home to their families. They leave behind heartbroken loved ones who will struggle to come to terms with their loss." Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said they were 'simply staggered' by the public's reaction to this fundraising request.

She added: "We would like to thank each and every person who has kindly donated. It means so much. We are a small force, and the death of our colleagues has been felt deeply... we are completely numb. "Matt and Tom were not just colleagues... they were friends, teammates and valued members of the policing family. If some good can come of this ... and the officers' families can see such a phenomenal show of support from the public and police family towards them - and their future lives can be made just that little bit easier - then that is a small something that will keep us all going in the toughest of times." PC Blades was married with two sons, and PC Clough leaves behind a partner. As well as supporting the officer's families, the federation is also offering support to colleagues across the force.

On Sunday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the collision, verified some of the circumstances in the lead up to the crash.

Their initial enquiries established that Cleveland Police received intelligence regarding numerous incidents linked to a Volkswagen Passat.

Cleveland Police said two of the 12 people previously arrested have now appeared in court. They have arrested a total of 17 people following the crash on the A66 in which two police officers and five people in a Volkswagen Passat died. The National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit assisted in the arrests of five of them. The force said they were a boy aged 16, an 18-year-old and a man of 21, all on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group; a 55-year-old on suspicion of assisting an offender and a 23-year-old on suspicion of making threats to kill.