Tragedy as police confirm three teens dead and another arrested after car goes into River Wear
Police officers are appealing for information
Three teenagers have tragically died after a car entered the water in the River Wear close to the Wearmouth Bridge.
There was a huge emergency services response as rescue teams from the Coastguard, police, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, and the RNLI scoured the river for the car and any sign or survivors.
Tragically, Northumbria Police have this evening (September 29) confirmed three teenagers have died and a fourth is in hospital..
A spokesperson said: “Shortly before 1.30pm today (Tuesday), we received a number of reports from the public of a black Audi A3 car coming off the road at Panns Bank near Wearmouth Bridge and entering the water.
“Four people are understood to have been in the car at the time, with a 17-year-old boy managing to reach safety. He is currently in hospital with what have been described as non-serious injuries.
“Sadly, the bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl have been recovered from the water.
“Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.”
An investigation is under way into the circumstances of what happened and the police have said no other vehicles are believed to have been involved.
The boy who reached safety has subsequently been arrested in connection with the incident.
Chief Supt Scott Cowie, Area Commander for Sunderland, said: “This is a truly tragic incident where three young people have lost their lives.
“Our thoughts are with their families, friends and all those impacted by what has happened.
"We will continue to support them in any way that we can and ask that their privacy is respected at this time.
“I want to thank all of our partners who supported the multi-agency search efforts.”
Northumbria Police are now appealing for information to find out exactly what happened leading up to the car entering the water.
Chief Supt Scott Cowie added: “Our investigation is at a very early stage in establishing the circumstances surrounding what has happened.
“We would ask members of the public not to speculate about the incident both on social media and in the community. In doing so, please be mindful of the potential impact such commentary could have on the families of those involved in this incident.”
Police have asked members of the public to avoid the area and not to livestream or share images from the scene.
The incident was also attended by the North East Ambulance Service. A spokesperson said: “We received a call to 999 at 1.23pm today (Tuesday 29 September 2026) to reports of a car entering the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including three emergency ambulances, a clinical team leader, three officers, our full Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) as well as the air ambulance.
“Once on scene our teams worked closely with colleagues at the coastguard, RNLI, fire service and the police.
“We transported one person to hospital by road for further treatment.
“Sadly, despite the best efforts of all emergency services in attendance, three teenagers died at the scene.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragic event and thank everyone whose dedication, compassion and support helped those involved during such difficult circumstances.”
Anyone with information, particularly those with CCTV or dashcam footage, should send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use the report forms on theirs website.
You can also call 101 and quote reference number NP-20260929-0589.