Five young men and teenagers who died driving on the wrong side of the road in a crash which also killed two police officers have been named.Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 16, and Jacob Matusiak, 23, were in a Volkswagen Passat which struck a police car in the early hours of Saturday morning.Cleveland Police had launched a pursuit after spotting the VW acting “suspiciously”, the force said in the aftermath of the fatal crash.Officers began following the car in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside before it joined the A66 in the wrong direction and collided with an oncoming police armed response unit at 3.39am. The police car, which was travelling in the right direction, is understood not to have been part of the pursuit.No-one survived the collision, which is being investigated by the police watchdog.Doorbell footage from nearby Lime Road appears to show multiple police vehicles chasing a car at speed moments before the tragedy. The footage was filmed at 3:36am - three minutes before the fatal crash. Police officers at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough (PA Wire)Tributes have been paid to the “brave” officers, who were named as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, by Cleveland Police chief constable Victoria Fuller. Friends and family of the VW occupants have also spoken of their heartbreak.In a post on Facebook, Sharon Morgan said she had lost her “beloved nephew” Makai Saddington, aged 18, from Middlesbrough. “There are no words that can truly express the pain of losing someone so young, so loved, and so full of life,” she wrote.“You brought so much love and happiness into our family, and your memory will stay with us forever. This loss has left a space in our hearts that can never be filled.”Rest peacefully, my beautiful nephew. You will never be forgotten.”Ellie Webster, who describes herself as a close friend of Theo Rae, said watching his family’s hearts being broken is one of the hardest things she has ever done.“Theo Rae you’ve left so many people broken,” she said. “I’m gunna [sic] miss your daily checkins making sure we’re all okay. I wish I could take the pain away from your mam, how are we going to get her through this I’ll never know! It just doesn’t seem real. Rest in peace Theo.”Flowers left near to the scene on the A66 in South Bank (PA)Channy Brown shared pictures of all five VW occupants as she called for their faces to “light up” social media.Paying tribute, she said they were “top lads” with “kind hearts”. “Forever young forever going to be missed and loved by everyone who new them,” she added.Others posted details of balloon releases in memory of some of the teenagers. Husband and father-of-two PC Blades had recently become a Seaton Carew FC coach and was preparing for his first turn teaching its under-sevens Seahawks squad.“He was looking forward to being part of the team and, most importantly, to coaching his own son, who is going to be playing for the Seahawks this season,” the club said on social media.“Matty and his oldest son are much-loved members of our club and our U10 Lions football family.”Balloons left near to the scene on the A66 (PA)The A66 has been in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston as a result of the smash as investigators examined the wreckage. A large white tent was erected over the scene, with multiple emergency service vehicles around.The closed section of the A66 is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), confirmed they had launched an investigation into the “tragic incident” following a mandatory referral from the local force.Nicola Marfleet, IOPC director of investigations, said: “When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory that the matter is referred to the IOPC. Our role is to establish and examine the circumstances of what happened; this work is already underway, and Cleveland Police is cooperating with our enquiries.”More follows on this developing news story...