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The families of Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw have remembered the two 16-year-olds, while Sunderland College has paid tribute to all three students who died.
What has changed? · 02/10/2026, 17:32 UTC
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The bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl have been recovered from the River Wear after a car went into the water in Sunderland. A fourth occupant, a 17-year-old boy, reached safety and was in hospital with injuries police described as non-serious. [1]
Northumbria Police said the black Audi A3 came off the road at Panns Bank, near Wearmouth Bridge, shortly before 13:30 BST. The cause is not yet known. [1]
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, the North East Ambulance Service and RNLI teams helped with the rescue effort. Members of the public were asked to avoid the area. [1]
Chief Superintendent Scott Cowie said the investigation was at an early stage and officers were working to establish the circumstances. [1]
Northumbria Police named the three teenagers as Jackson Duke, 17, and Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both 16. They were among four people in a black Audi A3 that left the road at Panns Bank, near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, and entered the River Wear shortly before 1.30pm on Tuesday. [2] [3]
A fourth occupant, a 17-year-old boy, reached safety with injuries described as non-serious. He was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. ITV News Tyne Tees reported on Wednesday that he remained in police custody. [2] [3]
Police are still investigating why the car entered the river and who was driving. At this early stage, they do not believe any other vehicles were involved. [2] [3]
4 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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In tributes reported by the BBC, Luke Etheridge’s family described him as caring and said their hearts would “ache forever”. They remembered his love of the family dog, Wilf. Zara Shaw’s family recalled her “zest for life” and “infectious laugh and smile”, saying she had made them proud “from day one”. [4]
Luke and Zara, both 16, died alongside Jackson Duke, 17, after the car they were in entered the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland on Tuesday. All three were students at Sunderland College. [4]
Sunderland College said the deaths had “devastated” its community. It paid tribute to each teenager, describing Jackson as a “polite, kind and funny young man” whose presence lifted others. [4]