The brother of missing 18-year-old Declan Berry has revealed that the teenager was set to “fulfil his dreams” before the fatal river crash.

Searches continue for Declan, who was driving his beloved blue VW Polo at the time of the crash in the River Nene at North Brink, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on March 17.

His family are continuing their riverside vigil for the young man as search teams continue looking for the teenager.

Our reporter, Sarah Cliss, attended the scene today and spoke with Declan’s older brother, Connor, as he and some of the missing teen’s friends looked at the dozens of floral tributes being left on the riverbank.

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The many floral tributes that have been left by the River Nene in Wisbech (Image: Sarah Cliss)

He said that his younger brother was “full of life and always joking”.

“Declan had a great sense of humour and loved his car”, he said.

The 18-year-old had just passed his driving test and planned to carry out some improvement work on his VW Polo.

Connor said that Declan came from a “hard-working family”, and that his younger brother would join him on the job.

The pair had an extremely close bond, and Connor said that when Declan spent three days in Birmingham for an army recruitment trial, it was “the longest three days” as he really missed him and they spoke every day on the phone.

Declan Berry’s sister, Sophie, looking at the floral tributes (Image: Sarah Cliss)

Connor said that Declan was planning to join the army this summer to “fulfil his dreams”.

“I spent a lot of time with Declan. He worked with me on my gardening business that I started when I was 13. I was helping him to mature and become an adult,” said Connor.

The older brother hoped that, one day, Declan would find a girlfriend, settle down and have a family of his own.

A Cambridgeshire Search & Rescue team are at the scene (Image: Sarah Cliss)

The Berry family have plans to create a memorial on the riverbank for Declan, with Connor planning to create a platform with a seat to sit, contemplate and remember Declan and Eden Bunn, a 16-year-old girl from Wisbech, who was killed in the crash.

Declan’s mother and one of his sisters, Sophie, were at the riverside looking at the tributes to Declan while they awaited news on the 18-year-old.

Some of Declan’s college friends, as well as one of his oldest school friends, were also at the scene today.

According to some circulating information: Acquaintances of Declan Berry said that he drove very carefully, never accelerating without any unusual signs before the trip — however, reports suggest the car suddenly accelerated for nearly 40 seconds in the timeline before it plunged into the river, and this has revealed what happened inside the cabin

Acquaintances of 18-year-old Declan Berry have repeatedly described him as a careful, responsible new driver who had only recently passed his test and took pride in his blue Volkswagen Polo. Friends insist he drove normally that evening, with “no unusual signs” or reckless behaviour before the fatal incident on March 17, 2026. Yet reports and eyewitness claims now circulating suggest the car suddenly accelerated for nearly 40 seconds in the moments leading up to its plunge into the River Nene at North Brink, Wisbech St Mary — and this unexpected burst of speed has begun to reveal what may have happened inside the crowded cabin.

Cambridgeshire Police confirm the crash occurred at approximately 8:20 pm when the Polo, carrying five teenagers, left the road and entered the tidal waters of the River Nene. Declan is believed to have been driving. Eden Bunn, 16, from Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, was a rear-seat passenger; her body was recovered the following day. Three other passengers — an 18-year-old boy and two 16-year-old girls — escaped the sinking vehicle and were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. The car was recovered on March 22 with specialist dive teams, but no further bodies were found inside. Searches for Declan continue along the challenging tidal river.

The contrast between Declan’s reputation for cautious driving and the reported sudden acceleration has become the latest focal point in local discussions. Friends speaking out have emphasised that “he was driving normally,” yet some circulating accounts — including an eyewitness claim from a local near North Brink — describe the Polo appearing to accelerate sharply in the final stretch before veering off the road. This roughly 40-second window, referenced in social media threads and comment sections, creates a timeline gap that has puzzled observers: a period of normal driving followed by an unexplained surge of speed, ending in the car leaving the carriageway without apparent braking.

According to these circulating details, the sudden acceleration is now being linked to events inside the cabin. With five teenagers squeezed into the compact VW Polo — two in the front and three in the rear, where Eden was seated — the space was extremely tight. Some accounts suggest a brief commotion or movement among the rear passengers may have distracted Declan at a critical moment. In the cramped conditions, a passenger reaching for something, shifting position, or reacting suddenly could have caused an instinctive reaction from the driver — possibly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake, or losing momentary control while trying to correct the car’s path.

This scenario aligns with the practical realities of the overloaded small car. A standard Polo’s rear bench is narrow for three people, limiting movement and increasing the chance that any internal disturbance affects the driver. The road at North Brink runs directly alongside the river with little margin for error, especially in the dark at 8:20 pm. If the car accelerated for nearly 40 seconds, it would have built up enough momentum to make recovery difficult once it began to veer toward the water.

Police have not officially confirmed the acceleration detail or any specific cause, describing the investigation as being at an early stage. Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler of the Road Policing Unit has appealed for dashcam or witness footage from the Wisbech area between 7pm and 8:20pm, noting the “very, very difficult” conditions in the tidal river. No official timeline with second-by-second precision has been released, and the force continues to support both families while urging anyone with information to come forward.

Declan’s brother Connor paid tribute, saying his sibling had “a great sense of humour” and was eager to modify and improve his beloved Polo. “He was set to fulfil his dreams,” Connor told reporters. The family is planning a memorial platform with seating on the riverbank so people can sit and remember both Declan and Eden. Eden’s family described her as “the kindest, most loving girl,” and community tributes, including flowers along North Brink, continue to grow.

The three survivors have not spoken publicly, but the accounts now circulating appear to draw from early conversations with those close to the group. They paint a picture of a normal evening outing that turned tragic due to a split-second event inside the car — not reckless speeding from the outset, but a sudden, unintended acceleration possibly triggered by distraction in the overloaded cabin.

This emerging narrative has reignited broader discussions about teenage driving, peer pressure, and the dangers of cramming five young people into a small hatchback late at night. Even a careful driver like Declan could face challenges in such conditions: extra weight affecting handling, restricted visibility or movement, and the heightened risk when water is just metres away.

As the search for Declan enters its second week, the river keeps many secrets. The Polo has been examined, but full forensic details have not been made public. The strong tidal currents continue to complicate efforts, with Declan’s family present when the vehicle was recovered.

In the tight-knit communities of Wisbech and Sutton Bridge, the story of the sudden acceleration and the 40-second window has become a point of quiet reflection. Acquaintances maintain that Declan drove carefully with “no unusual signs” before the trip — making the reported surge all the more shocking and mysterious. The detail now surfacing about activity inside the cabin offers a possible explanation: a brief, innocent movement in the back seat that, in the wrong place and at the wrong time, led to an irreversible outcome.

Police stress that speculation should not replace evidence, and their focus remains on locating Declan and supporting the grieving families. Until dashcam footage or clearer survivor statements emerge, the exact sequence inside the Polo during those critical 40 seconds remains partially hidden. Yet the circulating information — Declan’s careful reputation versus the sudden acceleration — adds another layer of heartbreak to an already devastating tragedy.

For now, at North Brink, flowers mark the spot where a normal drive ended in the cold waters of the Nene. The small blue Polo that carried five friends homeward that night instead became a vessel of unanswered questions — about careful driving, cramped cabins, and how quickly 40 seconds can change everything.