--- title: "Seven killed in A66 wrong-way crash; government urges TikTok action" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/seven-killed-in-a66-wrong-way-crash-government-urges-tiktok-action" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/seven-killed-in-a66-wrong-way-crash-government-urges-tiktok-action" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/seven-killed-in-a66-wrong-way-crash-government-urges-tiktok-action.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/seven-killed-in-a66-wrong-way-crash-government-urges-tiktok-action" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-08-24T11:45:31.882Z" source_reported: "2026-08-24T10:15:09.000Z" updated: "2026-08-24T11:45:31.882Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-24T11:30:28.727056+00:00" --- # Seven killed in A66 wrong-way crash; government urges TikTok action *Defence minister calls for removal of dangerous driving content following fatal collision.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies and figures given with origins, but relies on anonymous sourcing for some details. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reports include quotes from affected parties and name specific individuals involved in the incident. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise action on dangerous content following a fatal crash, with some loaded adjectives used. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Seven people, including two police officers, died when a Volkswagen Passat was driven the wrong way on the A66 and collided with a police vehicle. - Court records show one of the deceased, Makai Saddington, was awaiting trial for alleged crimes against police officers. - Defence minister Luke Pollard has asked social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to remove content that appears to celebrate dangerous driving. - TikTok videos have emerged that appear to show one of the deceased, Jacob Matusiak, filming himself driving. A collision on the A66 dual carriageway resulted in seven fatalities, including two police officers. The crash occurred when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven against the flow of traffic and struck a marked police vehicle. The deceased include officers Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, alongside civilians Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, and Jacob Matusiak, 23. Court records indicate that Makai Saddington was awaiting trial for alleged offences including assaulting a police officer and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress. He had appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 17 July, charged with these offences. Reports suggest Saddington may have been involved in filming dangerous driving on TikTok prior to the fatal incident. Defence minister Luke Pollard stated that social media platforms should remove content celebrating dangerous behaviour on roads. He indicated that the government would use powers in the Online Safety Act to compel platforms to take down such content if they did not self-regulate. Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey acknowledged reports of TikTok videos but urged against speculation. A fundraiser for the officers' families had exceeded £250,000. ## Disagreement on the timeline of the police pursuit The Northern Echo reported that the Passat was spotted and an armed response vehicle pursued it for just under seven minutes before it drove onto the A66 against traffic. It stated police aborted the chase and continued on the correct side of the carriageway, with the Passat crashing into the officers' vehicle about 10 seconds later. Breaking News stated the Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway and hit their marked armed response vehicle, without specifying the duration of the pursuit or when it was aborted. ## What the coverage left out None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports printed below mention the specific ages of all five civilian victims. The right-rated report does not mention that Makai Saddington was awaiting trial for alleged crimes against police officers. ## Who covered it Shares of the 11 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 46% (5) - Centre: 45% (5) - Right: 9% (1) 2 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-24T11:30:28.727056+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-24T12:15:15.170Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led on the government's demand for social media firms to remove dangerous driving videos. Breaking News and The Independent highlighted that police officers were killed in the crash. The Daily Mirror's headline focused on the 'chilling joyride vids' and the government's demand. The Daily Record reported on TikTok videos emerging that appeared to show one of the deceased, Jacob Matusiak, filming himself driving. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the government's instruction to TikTok to remove dangerous driving content following the fatal crash. The Northern Echo and Yorkshire Post highlighted the government telling TikTok to remove 'joyriding clips' or 'dangerous wrong-way driving trend videos'. The Manchester Evening News mentioned Andy Burnham ordering TikTok to delete 'awful' videos. The Evening Standard quoted minister Luke Pollard stating such content 'should have no place on social media'. The Star reported TikTok was urged to remove content of a deadly trend. ### Right - The right-rated report from the Daily Express led on the Labour party breaking its silence on the 'awful TikTok trend' after the A66 crash. It stated that seven people, including two police officers, died in the wrong-way crash over the weekend. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 2 - high: 6 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/bulletin/news/a66-car-crash-jakub-matusiak-joyriding-videos-b3038150.html) — Now-deleted video shows man who died in A66 crash joyriding through estate - [Yorkshire Post](https://yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/a66-crash-government-tells-tiktok-to-take-down-joyriding-videos-8937833) — Government tells TikTok to take down joyriding clips after police killed in A66 crash - [Western Morning News](https://westernmorning.news/2026/08/24/remove-content-celebrating-dangerous-driving-social-media-companies-told-after-teesside-crash-which-killed-7-people) — Remove content celebrating dangerous driving, social media companies told after Teesside crash which killed 7 people - [The Northern Echo](https://thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/26488752.government-tells-tiktok-remove-dangerous-driving-videos) — Government tells TikTok to remove dangerous wrong-way driving trend videos - [online-listing.com](https://online-listing.com/news/blogger/2026/08/24/minister-tells-social-media-firms-to-take-down-dangerous-driving-content-in-wake-of-fatal-a66-crash-in-middlesborough-uk-politics-live/happenings) — Minister tells social media firms to take down dangerous driving content in wake of fatal A66 crash in Middlesborough – UK politics live - [Breaking News](https://breakingnews.ie/world/government-tells-tiktok-to-remove-dangerous-wrong-way-driving-trend-videos-1943502.html) — UK government tells TikTok to remove dangerous wrong-way driving trend videos - [Daily Mirror](https://mirror.co.uk/news/politics/social-media-passat-crash-middlesborough-37585111) — Government demand social media firms remove chilling joyride vids after deadly A66 crash - [Manchester Evening News](https://manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/andy-burnham-government-orders-tiktok-34506047) — Andy Burnham government orders TikTok to delete 'awful' videos after A66 crash - [Evening Standard](https://standard.co.uk/news/uk/dangerous-driving-clips-a66-middlesbrough-social-media-police-officers-killed-b1294403.html) — 'Take down' dangerous driving clips, minister tells social media firms after crashes - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/teesside-crash-a66-deaths-social-media-tiktok-trend-driving-b3037978.html) — Social media companies told to remove content celebrating dangerous driving - [The Star](https://thestar.co.uk/news/crime/tiktok-urged-to-remove-content-of-deadly-trend-after-a66-horror-crash-8937246) — TikTok urged to remove content of deadly trend after A66 horror crash - [Daily Express](https://express.co.uk/news/uk/2241787/labour-breaks-silence-tiktok-trend-a66-crash) — Labour breaks silence on 'awful TikTok trend' after horror A66 crash kills 7 - [Daily Record](https://dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tiktok-video-emerges-joyrider-driving-37584906) — TikTok videos emerge of 'joyrider' driving recklessly before fatal smash ## Questions **How many people died in the A66 crash?** Seven people died in the crash on the A66, including two police officers. The collision involved a Volkswagen Passat being driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway. **What action has the government taken regarding social media?** Defence minister Luke Pollard has urged social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to remove content that celebrates dangerous driving. He stated the government would use powers in the Online Safety Act to compel platforms to take down such content if they do not self-regulate. **Was any of the deceased facing charges?** Yes, court records show that Makai Saddington, one of the deceased, was awaiting trial for alleged crimes against police officers, including assault. **What is known about TikTok videos related to the incident?** TikTok videos have emerged that appear to show one of the deceased, Jacob Matusiak, filming himself driving. The government has specifically asked TikTok to remove content celebrating dangerous driving. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. 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