Cars torched by yobs at twisted vigil for victim of A66 wrong-way crash after mum asked for ‘send-off he deserves’

SEVERAL cars were torched at a memorial for one of the “joyriders” killed in the A66 crash. Footage circulating on social media shows a number of five cars on fire during a twisted vigil for the five youths who died in the VW Passat on Saturday. Cars set on fire at balloon release memorial Credit: Unknown The cars were torched at an event for one of the victims of the A66 crash Credit: Unknown The clip shows five cars ablaze while black smoke billows into the sky in a farmer’s field. In the back of the video the blue lights of a fire engine can be seen heading up the road to the scene in near Haswell, County Durham, just 10 miles from Middlesbrough. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Videos on social media show before being set alight the cars were erratically driven round the field in doughnuts, spewing mud and crashing into the hedges. The clip posted to Instagram was captioned “Rest in peace Micky” in honor of Michael Robert Cahill, 23 who was in a car driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway when it smashed into two police officers killing them both. A later video shows a number of burnt out cars still smoking in the field One car was taken away by a tractor Credit: Unknown PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 died alongside Cahill and the four other occupants of the Passat, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18. Cahills’s mum previously urged for people to bring “bikes, jeeps, cars and quads” and give her son “the send off he deserves”. In one video, a large crowd of youths are standing around in a cloud of blue smoke as flares were fired into the sky. The camera then pans to the flames shooting out of the five cars. Most read in The Sun Balloons spelling out Michael are then released into the sky over the sound of revving engines and horns from a group of bikers. A later video shows a number of burnt out cars still smoking in the field with one vehicle being carried by a tractor. On Monday, masked youths sparked outrage after setting off flares in memory of Jakub Matusiak. The gathering which took place on South Bank field near Middlesbrough was quickly branded “disrespectful” after the crown descended into an angry mob. The gathering was said to be for Michael Cahill Credit: UGC/FACEBOOK/UNPIXS A previous balloon release in memory of A66 crash victims Makai Saddington, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy Credit: NNP What set out as a balloon release became around 200 people lighting up the sky with rockets and orange smoke. A gang of around 20 masked youths on scooters, off-road bikes and quad bikes roared around a field in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, in honour of Matusiak, who himself had convictions for motoring offences. At just after 5pm hundreds of orange balloons – chosen because it was his favourite colour – were released into the sky amid cheers from the crowd. This comes as more than 200 police officers are deployed to Middlesbrough as the number of victims and incidents continues to rise. The move was announced last night after gang warfare in the town left nine dead in under a week, including two cops and Valentina Foster, seven. More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us on TikTok @TheSun.