Hundreds gather in Middlesbrough for first A66 crash funeral

Hundreds of people gathered in Middlesbrough for the first funeral of one of five young men killed in a head-on crash on the A66.

Jakub Matusiak, also known as Jacob, was killed when a Volkswagen Passat he was travelling in hit a marked police car while going the wrong way down a dual carriageway.

The crash killed Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38.

The five young men in the Passat – Mr Matusiak, 23; Cole Worthy, 17; Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; and Michael Cahill, 23 – were also pronounced dead at the scene.

On Friday afternoon, mourners gathered at St John The Evangelist Church in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough, wearing black or orange – Mr Matusiak’s favourite colour.

The funeral procession was led by two white horses, with a white Rolls Royce and Lamborghini following.

The coffin had “son” engraved on the top and was covered with orange and white flowers.

The cortege for Jacob Matusiak arrives at St John’s Church (PA)

PA Wire

Normanby Road outside the church was blocked by the council, but there was no visible police presence outside the church.

Earlier, Cleveland Police said potential traffic disruption and delays were expected from 3pm to 5pm, affecting South Bank, Normanby Road through Teesville, Ormesby and Marton, and Acklam Road.

Four schools shut their doors at lunchtime amid concerns about “congestion and transport disruption”.

Superintendent John Wrintmore said: “Today’s events have passed without issue and very minimal traffic disruption.

“Our policing operation to ensure public safety will take the same approach next week when more funerals are taking place.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to minimise disruption in these areas and keep the public safe.

“No schools, services or businesses have been instructed to close, and any decision to do so have been made by individual organisations and their own risk assessments.

“We would like to thank our communities for their continued cooperation and support. Our visible police presence in the area will continue throughout the week to provide reassurance and allow everyone to continue with their daily lives as normal.”