Qays Najm/BBC

Emergency services were called to North Brink following reports a car containing five people had entered the water on Tuesday

A vehicle has been recovered from a river as searches for a missing 18-year-old man continue.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was able to recover a blue Volkswagen Polo, with the support of specialist diving teams, from the River Nene in Wisbech St Mary on Sunday.

However, the force is still searching for 18-year-old Declan Berry who was believed to be driving the car and said “no further people” were located within the vehicle.

Det Insp Craig Wheeler, from the Road Policing Unit, said: “We are still actively searching for Declan along the River Nene. We continue to support his family, who were present today when the vehicle was recovered.”

Cambridgeshire Police

While the body of Eden Bunn, 16, was recovered from the river on Wednesday, searches continue for Declan Berry, 18

Emergency services were called to North Brink following reports a car containing five people had entered the water at about 20:20 GMT on Tuesday.

The body of 16-year-old Eden Bunn, from Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, was found by divers on Wednesday and was believed to be a rear-seat passenger of the vehicle.

Three other young people, including two 16-year-old girls and an 18-year-old boy, managed to escape the car and were taken to hospital.

The force is appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to get in touch.

As the search for 18-year-old Declan Berry enters its eighth day along the River Nene in Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, a new layer of uncertainty has emerged from unverified social media claims. A supposed local witness living near North Brink has described hearing and seeing the blue Volkswagen Polo accelerate noticeably for at least four seconds before it veered off the road and into the cold tidal waters around 8:20 p.m. on March 17, 2026. The claim, which has spread rapidly through local Facebook groups and comment sections under news articles, suggests the car did not simply lose control after hitting a pothole—as earlier survivor and resident accounts implied—but instead surged forward deliberately or uncontrollably just before impact.

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According to the circulating eyewitness statement (shared widely on a local community Facebook page), the resident was outside or near their property on the narrow, straight stretch of North Brink when they noticed the Polo approaching. “It wasn’t just drifting or swerving slowly,” the post quotes the witness as saying. “The engine revved up, and it accelerated hard for maybe four or five seconds straight before it went through the barrier and into the river.” The account adds that the car’s lights were on, and there was no immediate sign of braking or correction, raising questions about what happened in those final moments inside the vehicle carrying five teenagers.

This detail directly contrasts with previous reports. Earlier descriptions from first responders and one survivor mentioned a sudden jolt—possibly from a pothole on the poorly maintained road—causing the driver to lose control. Billy Cunningham, a local resident who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, told media outlets that survivors spoke of the car hitting something in the road before careering off. No mainstream news outlet, including BBC, ITV Anglia, or the Eastern Daily Press, has reported or confirmed any acceleration claim from official police statements or named witnesses.

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Cambridgeshire Police have remained tight-lipped on specifics of the crash dynamics. Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit has repeatedly appealed for dashcam footage or anyone who saw the blue VW Polo between 7 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. on March 17, describing the river’s “challenging nature” but offering no commentary on speed, acceleration, or possible mechanical issues. The force has not named any witnesses publicly, and as of March 25, 2026, the investigation is still in its early stages. The recovered Polo (lifted from the water on March 22) is likely undergoing forensic examination, but results have not been released.

The absence of official confirmation has not stopped the rumor mill. On Facebook and local news comment sections, users are dissecting the alleged four-second acceleration:

Some speculate it points to a medical emergency — perhaps Declan suffering a seizure, blackout, or sudden illness while driving (he had only passed his test two months earlier).
Others suggest a distraction inside the car — a phone, argument, or “strange movement” mentioned in earlier survivor leaks — causing an involuntary press on the accelerator.
A smaller but vocal group floats darker theories: intentional acceleration (suicide, prank gone wrong, or even foul play), though no evidence supports this and police have given zero indication of criminal intent beyond a standard collision probe.
Defenders of the teens argue the “acceleration” could simply be the sound of the engine under stress as the car hit uneven ground or the driver tried to correct course too late. “Four seconds feels like forever in panic,” one commenter wrote. “It doesn’t mean he floored it on purpose.”

Trauma and memory experts (not directly commenting on this case) often note that eyewitness accounts of vehicle speed and timing in high-stress nighttime incidents can be unreliable due to shock, distance, and poor lighting. North Brink is a single-track road with grass banks and intermittent barriers, running parallel to the river—conditions that make any loss of control catastrophic.

Meanwhile, the human toll remains front and center. The body of 16-year-old Eden Bunn from Sutton Bridge was recovered on March 18; she was described by her family as “the kindest, most loving girl,” devoted to her horses. Declan Berry, believed to be the driver, is still missing despite intensive searches involving divers, helicopters, and ground teams. His family has spoken of their devastation and asked for privacy while they wait. Three other teenagers (two 16-year-old girls and one 18-year-old boy) escaped with non-life-threatening injuries and are receiving support.

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The acceleration claim has reignited broader online debates from earlier conflicting survivor testimonies—about the “45 terrifying seconds” inside the sinking car, Declan’s reported silence, and whether anyone could have done more. Some posts now link the alleged surge to those chaotic moments: “If he accelerated right before impact, maybe he was fighting for control… or maybe something else was happening.”

As of today, the story remains unconfirmed rumor circulating on social media rather than established fact. Police continue to urge anyone with real information or footage to come forward, quoting incident 515 of March 17. Without dashcam evidence or a verified witness statement, the four-second acceleration sits firmly in the realm of online speculation—fueling theories while the official investigation proceeds methodically.

For the families and the tight-knit Wisbech community, the focus stays painfully simple: finding Declan and understanding how a normal evening drive among friends ended in such heartbreak. Whether the engine note heard by one unnamed local was acceleration, a desperate correction, or simply misremembered may eventually be clarified by forensics. Until then, the internet will keep debating: tragic mistake, momentary panic, or something more sinister? The river keeps its silence for now.