Helicopter spotted as police continue search for teenager still missing week after river crash

Declan Berry is believed to have been driving a car containing four other teenagers when it entered the River Nene

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A police helicopter has been seen travelling over Cambridgeshire to help with the search for Declan(Image: Family handout)

A helicopter has been used to help with the search for Declan Berry after a car entered the River Nene at North Brink a week ago. Declan and four other teenagers crashed into the River Nene outside Wisbech St Mary at around 8.20pm on Tuesday, March 17.  Two 16-year-old girls and one 18-year-old boy were able to get out of the vehicle and were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The body of a 16-year-old girl, Eden Bunn, was recovered by the police from the river on Wednesday, March 18.

The blue Volkswagen Polo that they had been driving in was recovered by police on Sunday, March 22, with help from specialist dive teams. The police confirmed that no further people were found inside the car.

The police are continuing to search for Declan, 18. People have spotted a helicopter over the area that headed towards Guyhirn that police are using to help with the search.

People have placed flowers along the road in tribute to the two teenagers. Eden’s family have paid tribute her, describing her as “the kindest, most loving girl”.

As flowers and tributes continue to accumulate along North Brink in Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, a new wave of unverified survivor accounts has flooded local social media groups and comment sections. One circulating story describes a teenager desperately struggling to open a car door in what they claim were the final 20 seconds before the blue Volkswagen Polo became fully submerged in the cold, tidal waters of the River Nene. The teen allegedly recounted pushing and pulling with all their strength as the water rose rapidly, yet the door “wouldn’t open” due to the pressure differential. This latest detail has intensified public fascination and speculation about the chaotic moments inside the sinking vehicle on March 17, 2026 — and why three teenagers escaped while 18-year-old Declan Berry and 16-year-old Eden Bunn did not.

According to the widely shared but anonymous posts, one of the surviving teenagers (reportedly one of the boys) described a frantic final phase inside the inverted or sideways-settled Polo. As icy river water surged through gaps and broken windows, filling the cabin from the floor up, the group faced jammed doors, snagged seatbelts, and disorienting darkness. In this version, the teen focused on a specific door — possibly a rear or side one — yanking the handle repeatedly in the last 20 seconds while shouting for others to try windows or different exits. “I tried my best, but the door just wouldn’t open — the water was pushing against it so hard,” the account quotes the survivor as saying. The narrative suggests the effort was part of a desperate, fragmented attempt to create an escape route for everyone, including Declan, who was believed to be driving.

This story adds to the patchwork of conflicting testimonies already circulating online. Earlier unverified claims spoke of “45 terrifying seconds” or “50 chaotic seconds” of panic, with varying descriptions of Declan’s actions: some portrayed him as silent and unresponsive, others as trying to help passengers unbuckle or direct escapes. The new “door wouldn’t open” detail has sparked fresh questions about the physics of the sinking and individual actions in those critical moments. Sinking-car survival experts (speaking generally) explain that external water pressure often prevents doors from opening until the interior floods enough to equalize the force — a counterintuitive process that requires staying calm amid rising water and cold shock.

No official statements from Cambridgeshire Police or named survivors have confirmed these specific 20-second door struggles or any detailed timeline of individual efforts inside the vehicle. Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler has continued to appeal for dashcam footage from the 7 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. window on March 17, describing the river’s challenging tidal conditions but providing no commentary on escape attempts or door mechanics. The VW Polo was recovered on March 22 with specialist diving teams; no additional occupants were found inside. Eden Bunn’s body was recovered the day after the crash, while searches for Declan Berry — a Wisbech local who had passed his driving test only months earlier — remain active as of March 26, involving divers, helicopters, and ground teams along the Nene.

The disparity in outcomes — three survivors (two 16-year-old girls and one 18-year-old boy) escaping with non-life-threatening injuries, while Declan and Eden did not — has fueled countless online theories:

Pressure and positioning: Some commenters argue that those near windows or who acted fastest benefited from luck and seat position, while others were trapped by the car’s orientation, seatbelts, or the rapid flooding.
Heroic but futile efforts: Supporters of the “door wouldn’t open” story suggest the teen’s struggle was a genuine attempt to help everyone, but the laws of physics in a submerging vehicle made coordinated rescue nearly impossible.
Conflicting memories: Others point out that trauma and cold-water shock can distort recollections, turning one person’s focused effort into another’s memory of total chaos.
Lingering “what ifs”: A vocal minority questions whether more could have been done in those final 20 seconds — pulling someone through a broken window, staying together longer, or different escape priorities — though many defend the survivors as terrified teenagers fighting for their own lives.

Friends and family have consistently described Declan as a responsible young man driving normally, with no alcohol involved. Eden Bunn was remembered by her loved ones as “the kindest, most loving girl,” devoted to her horses. The Berry family has spoken of their devastation and plans for a riverside memorial platform with seating to honour both young people. The three survivors are receiving support following their ordeal.

As North Brink remains a site of quiet vigils with fresh flowers replacing those wilted by the Fenland wind, these social media stories fill an information vacuum while the official investigation proceeds methodically. Police have not released forensic details from the recovered Polo or verified any survivor timelines. Until clearer evidence emerges — from dashcam footage, detailed interviews, or vehicle examination — the “door wouldn’t open” account and the question of why some escaped and two did not will continue circulating as rumour and speculation rather than confirmed fact.

For the families and the Wisbech community, the nightmare persists: an ordinary evening drive among friends that ended in tragedy on a tricky stretch of road beside a powerful tidal river. The door that wouldn’t open in those last 20 seconds has become another symbol of the slim margins between survival and loss. Searches continue, tributes grow, and the town waits for answers that may come slowly — or not at all.