The mother of one of the young people killed in a crash on the A66 that killed two police officers wants to give him ‘the send-off he deserves’ with ‘bikes, jeeps, cars and quad bikes’ swarming a public field in his honour.
Michael Cahill, 23, died at 3.39am on Saturday, August 22, along with four of his friends, when their VW Passat drove onto the wrong side of the main road and crashed into a marked police car carrying PCs Tom Clough and Matthew Blades.
There were fears that his mother’s words would spark “chaos” in their hometown as her post was widely shared among his friends and the local traveler community.
In the aftermath of the crash, Kelly Cahill, from Peterlee, County Durham, posted a tribute, saying: ‘Fly high my boy, forever, go and be at peace with your father, keep me a place up there until we meet again.’
And in a subsequent post, she urged his friends to turn up in vehicles on Thursday at a piece of council wasteland opposite the Whitehouse hotel and wedding venue.
Ms Cahill wrote: ‘Change of plan. Michael’s balloon release, Thursday Peterlee, White Houseopposite on field. Come on guys, bikes, jeeps, cars, quads – give him the send-off he deserves.”
The plan immediately caused alarm in the city, with locals saying the land was unsafe for a large collection of off-road vehicles.
The Whitehouse hotel declined to comment but said it had not been contacted about the meeting.
The mother of 23-year-old Michael Cahill (pictured) has urged friends and family to take all-terrain vehicles to a public field to give him ‘the send-off he deserves’
At a vigil held on Monday, dozens of people held up orange flares in a field in South Bank, Middlesbrough, to commemorate the deaths of the five joyriders.
Monday’s commemoration started with a balloon release, but descended into noise and confusion
Cahill, 23, died at 3.39am on Saturday, August 22, along with four of his friends, when their VW Passat drove onto the wrong side of the A66 and crashed into a marked police car carrying PCs Tom Clough and Matthew Blades. In the photo: the scene of the fatal accident
A local resident said: ‘To enter the field, they have to open a padlocked gate and remove a barrier.
“I hope that’s not the plan because it’s really not safe to have a large gathering of off-road bikes and quads racing on that land.
‘It’s adjacent to the main road and you have to worry about people going about their business on a normal weekday when suddenly dozens of people come onto the field.
“I understand the family’s need to remember him, but is this really the best way to do so?
‘I hope the police intervene to stop this. After what happened to their colleagues in Middlesbrough, I really can’t imagine them letting this happen.”
Meanwhile, a video has surfaced of Cahill joyriding at high speed with a friend in a residential area.
Posted by Mason Doherty as a tribute to his friend Cahill, it shows the pair in a Seat car – with Doherty driving – taking off and racing through a narrow street as rap music blared.
Tributes to the other four young people who died in the VW Passat have also proven unpopular.
Balloon releases planned for Middlesbrough for Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Cole Worthy, 17 and Theo Rae, 17, have been rejected by an environmental group.
Stop Balloon Releases North East says the deflated balloons can pose a danger to animals and pollute the landscape when they land.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are in the process of releasing four balloons in Middlesbrough… Please everyone bomb Middlesbrough Council with this. We can complain all we want, but it’s only ONE complaint. If everyone does it, they will have to take it into account.’
The reaction to the proposed tributes is in stark contrast to the public grief over the loss of the two police officers.
Friends and family of 23-year-old Matusiak decided to gather on Monday at a field in South Bank, Middlesbrough, just yards from the scene of Saturday’s catastrophic collision.
PC Matthew Blades, father-of-two, was killed when his police vehicle was hit head-on by a Volkswagen Passat traveling the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough
PC Tom Clough was also killed in the crash, which happened about 10 seconds after the police chase of the Volkswagen was called off
Close friends Theo Rae (left) and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday
Makai Saddington, one of the five people killed in the Volkswagen, posted videos on TikTok of himself being chased by police and awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers
A GoFundMe page set up by the Cleveland Police Federation has surpassed its original total of £400,000 in just two days and is now speeding towards a new target of £700,000.
The money will be split between the families of former soldier PC Clough and father-of-two PC Blades, a former teacher and respected youth football coach.
The appeal reads: ‘Tragedy struck these two brave colleagues from the Cleveland Police Department in the early hours of August 22, 2026 – and they made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.’
But as the nation mourns the officers, Theo Rae’s family blamed police for the crash.
In a now-deleted post, Ryan Young, who describes himself as Rae’s uncle, claimed a stinger device was used, causing the Passat driver to lose control.
Mr Young claimed: ‘Just to let you know the police killed them.
“I will fight for justice for all of you. The police threw a stinger on the wrong side of the road causing them to lose control and this is not mentioned anywhere.
“It’s disgusting to say it [the police pursuit] was canceled is an insult.’
Cleveland police previously explained that a seven-minute pursuit was called off once the Passat turned the wrong way onto the A66 dual carriageway.
Just ten seconds later he crashed head-on into the police vehicle, which was not involved in the pursuit but had been called to the area to assist in monitoring the VW.
The first vigil was held on Monday evening, with a crowd of balaclava-clad youths lighting torches and fireworks to remember the young men.
The chaos was in stark contrast to a silent prayer vigil held at a nearby church in honor of PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades, who also tragically died in the crash.
Friends and family of 23-year-old Matusiak decided to gather on a field in South Bank, Middlesbrough, just yards from the scene of Saturday’s catastrophic collision.
What started as a balloon release turned into a confusion of smoke and noise as attendees lit up the sky with flares and rockets.
A gang of about 20 masked youths on motorcycles and quads roared across the field in honor of Matusiak, who had himself been convicted of traffic violations.
Footage showed dozens of flares being held aloft, filling the field with dense orange fog, as motorcycles revved their engines and honked their horns.
In a post on social media, his sister described Matusiak as “her best friend forever and ever.”
A family friend, Jodie Stephenson, also paid tribute, posting on social media: ‘With great love comes great pain and with great loss comes the greatest pain of all.
‘My heart hurts so much, a huge loss for us. You have been a huge part of mine and my children’s lives for as long as I can remember, you were another child to me and I will miss you for the rest of my life.
“Wherever my children went, you went with them and I knew they would be safe with you.”
She adds, “I will miss the ADHD and headaches you gave us, the late night phone calls to pick you up quickly and walking into Jimmy’s and finding you flat in bed. You always came here when the shit hit the fan and that was quite often.’
In May, Matusiak posted a video on social media that appeared to show him driving a Volvo vehicle recklessly around a Middlesbrough estate.
At one point in the video we see him leave the road and drive through a grassy field.
A separate tribute was planned at Trimdon pitch in Acklam, MIddlesbrough for Cole Worthy, the youngest of the group to die, to ‘celebrate his life’.
Friends say Worthy’s mother Natalie and her partner Michael are ‘totally devastated’ by his death.
A family member wrote: ‘As everyone knows, Cole Worthy sadly passed away yesterday. He was Natalie’s son who she truly loved and adored.
“Natalie isn’t in a position to answer anyone… as soon as Natalie feels like talking to someone, she’ll get in touch, but for now, just leave her alone.”
