Teens who died in car that entered River Wear named

September 30, 2026 154news Acacia

Teens who died when car entered River Wear named - BBC News

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Teens who died in car that entered river named

Image source: [Handout]

Image caption: Luke Etheridge, Zara Shaw and Jackson Duke (left to right) died when the car entered the River Wear.

By Evie Lake

North East and Cumbria

Published: 30 September 2026, 17:10 BST

Updated: 54 minutes ago

Two teenage boys and a teenage girl who died when the car they were in ended up in the River Wear have been named by police.

A black Audi A3 with four people inside came off the road at Panns Bank near Wearmouth Bridge, in Sunderland, and went in the water just before 13:30 BST on Tuesday, Northumbria Police said.

The three who died have been named as:

  • Jackson Duke, 17 (from Sunderland)

  • Luke Etheridge, 16 (from Sunderland)

  • Zara Shaw, 16 (from Houghton-le-Spring)

A 17-year-old boy who managed to reach safety has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, the force said.

Jackson and Luke were from Sunderland, while Zara was from Houghton-le-Spring, a town about seven miles (11km) from the city.

All were students at Sunderland College.

Image source: [BBC/Mark Denten]

Image caption:

Ch Supt Scott Cowie said the investigation into the deaths was continuing.

Ch Supt Scott Cowie, area commander for Sunderland, said:

"The last 24 hours have brought unimaginable agony and heartbreak for the loved ones of Luke, Jackson and Zara. All three had their whole futures ahead of them and will be hugely missed."

Image source: [PA]

Image caption: Police divers remain at the scene as investigations continue.

Earlier, a spokesperson for Sunderland College said they were "deeply saddened" by the deaths of three of their students.

"This is a heartbreaking loss for our college community, and the wider city of Sunderland," a statement published on Facebook said.

Image source: [BBC/Eve Connor]

Image caption: The empty black Audi A3 was recovered from the water on Wednesday.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, the North East Ambulance Service and RNLI teams assisted with the rescue efforts on Tuesday.

The car was recovered from the water earlier on Wednesday and no other vehicles are believed to have been involved.

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Related topics:

  • Sunderland

  • Northumbria Police

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