A family member of Jacob Matusiak, one of five young men killed in the devastating A66 wrong-way crash, has said the family is desperate for answers and questioned whether the tragedy could have been avoided if the police pursuit had ended sooner.

Matusiak, 23, was among five people travelling in a Volkswagen Passat when it collided with a marked armed response vehicle on the A66 near South Bank, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Saturday, August 22. The horrific collision claimed seven lives, including those of two Cleveland Police officers.

Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, and Matusiak were pronounced dead at the scene. Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, also died after their police vehicle was struck by the Passat, which was travelling against the flow of traffic on the dual carriageway.

The devastating incident has left families and friends struggling to understand how a night involving a group of young men ended with seven people losing their lives.

Now Matusiak’s cousin has spoken publicly about the family’s grief and their desire to understand exactly what happened in the moments before the crash.

Speaking to Sky News, the relative said the family had been left devastated but wanted authorities to provide them with the complete circumstances surrounding the incident.

They said: “We are just devastated for everyone involved. If he was at fault, he was at fault, but they need to give us the full picture.”

The relative acknowledged that Matusiak had previously been involved in trouble, saying the family knew he was “no saint”, but said they were still struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.

“He was no saint and has been involved in stuff before – we know that – but we cannot believe this has happened,” they said.

The family member also raised questions about the police pursuit, saying they had been told it should have been terminated earlier.

“We all want answers – we were told the chase should have been called off earlier. If it had been called off earlier lives might have been saved,” they said.

Their comments come as investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the pursuit and the moments immediately before the fatal collision.

According to police, the Volkswagen Passat had been spotted before officers pursued it for just under seven minutes. The vehicle subsequently travelled onto the A66 at South Bank in the wrong direction.

The police pursuit was then aborted, with officers continuing along the dual carriageway on the correct side of the road.

Around 10 seconds after the pursuit was stopped, the Passat collided with the armed response vehicle carrying Pc Blades and Pc Clough.

The sequence of events has inevitably prompted questions about what happened during those crucial minutes and whether different decisions could have changed the outcome.

However, the investigation remains ongoing, and the circumstances surrounding the pursuit will need to be established before conclusions can be reached about responsibility.

The tragedy has also prompted an enormous outpouring of grief for the five young men travelling in the Passat.

Friends and loved ones have taken to social media to share photographs, memories and messages of disbelief following their deaths.

Many described the group as loyal friends and expressed shock that they had been killed so suddenly.

One tribute written for all five young men said: “We all knew use and knew use had hearts of gold and most loyalist lads.”

The wording reflected the affection felt by those who knew them, while other messages described friends as being “heartbroken” and “lost for words”.

Balloon releases have also been organised in memory of the five men, with gatherings taking place at different locations around South Bank and the surrounding area.

At the crash scene, flowers and cards have been left by grieving relatives and friends.

One particularly emotional tribute dedicated to Cole Worthy read: “To my Coley, I love you so much. I’m so grateful for the time we got to spend together.”

The message continued: “I just cannot believe I will never see you again. I hope wherever you are it is everything you have ever dreamed of. I will never ever forget you. You would of done anything for anyone.”

The tributes have painted a picture of five young men who were deeply connected to their friends and communities, while their deaths have left several families facing the unimaginable task of grieving at the same time.

Matusiak’s family is now waiting for investigators to establish the full sequence of events.

Footage believed to show Matusiak driving recklessly before the collision has also emerged, adding another difficult element to the family’s grief. His cousin did not attempt to dismiss his past, instead acknowledging that the family knew he had previously been involved in trouble.

Their call for answers, however, highlights the distinction between understanding the actions of the men in the Passat and establishing exactly how the fatal collision unfolded.

Police have said there was no evidence that filming activities on Friday night and Saturday morning was being carried out specifically “for the purposes of TikTok”.

The statement comes amid reports and speculation about videos allegedly showing dangerous driving before the crash.

The investigation is expected to consider a wide range of evidence, including police communications, vehicle movements, eyewitness accounts, available footage and the circumstances in which the Passat entered the A66.

The deaths of Pc Blades and Pc Clough have added another layer of devastation to an already extraordinary tragedy.

Both officers were responding as part of their duties when their marked vehicle was struck. Their deaths have prompted tributes from colleagues, friends and members of the public.

For the families of all seven victims, however, the immediate focus remains on mourning those they have lost.

Matusiak’s cousin said the family was not trying to avoid difficult questions about his actions. Instead, they want a complete understanding of what happened before the collision and why the pursuit unfolded as it did.

The devastating crash has also raised wider questions about police pursuits, road safety and the dangers posed when vehicles travel against the flow of traffic on high-speed roads.

A wrong-way vehicle on a dual carriageway can create an almost impossible situation for other motorists, particularly when events unfold during the early hours of the morning.

In this case, the consequences were catastrophic.

Seven people who had been alive only moments earlier died in one of the most serious road incidents in the region in recent years.

As investigators work to establish the precise circumstances, grieving relatives are left with questions that may take considerable time to answer.

For Matusiak’s family, the pain is compounded by the uncertainty surrounding those final moments.

They know that five young men travelled together that night and that their journey ended in a collision that also claimed the lives of two police officers.

But they are still waiting to understand everything that happened between the beginning of the police response and the moment of impact.

Their message is therefore one of grief, but also of determination.

“If he was at fault, he was at fault,” Matusiak’s cousin said, stressing that the family wants the “full picture”.

Until that picture emerges, families, friends and the wider community will continue to mourn the seven people whose lives were lost on the A66, while investigators face the difficult task of piecing together the events that led to the fatal crash.