Schools to close early for A66 police crash funeral for ‘safety’

Sarah Hooper | Live News Reporter Published September 3, 2026 5:22pm Updated September 3, 2026 5:22pm Five men were killed after going the wrong way on the A66 and hitting a police car (Picture: PA) Several schools are set to close their doors early this week due to a funeral for one of five young men killed in a head-on smash with a police car on the A66 in Middlesbrough. Jakub Matusiak’s funeral will take place on Friday at St John the Evangelist Church on Normanby Road in South Bank. Matusiak was one of five occupants of a Volkswagen Passat who died in the head-on collision with a marked Cleveland Police armed response vehicle on the A66 on August 22. The crash claimed seven lives in total, including serving officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. Several schools have now agreed w