Van plunges dozens of feet off South Shields cliff as police find dead body

A man in his 20s has died after a van went over a cliff in the Marsden area of South Shields on Wednesday

15:53, 13 May 2026Updated 16:54, 13 May 2026

Northumbria Police received a report that a van had gone over a cliff(Image: Chronicle Live)

A man in his 20s has tragically died after a van went over a cliff in the Marsden area of South Shields.

Officers from Northumbria Police[1] officers were called at around 6am on Wednesday to a report of "a concern for welfare of a person near the A183 Coast Road". Police said it was reported that a van had left the road and gone over the cliffs onto the beach below, with one person believed to be inside.

A force spokesperson said in the afternoon: "Emergency services attended the scene and following a search involving multiple partner agencies, the body of a man in his 20s was sadly found. The man's next of kin have been informed."

Police remained at the scene at around 4pm(Image: Chronicle Live)

The spokesperson said the vehicle involved is being recovered from the scene and added: "There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man's death and a report is being prepared for the coroner."

The North East Ambulance Service said it attended the incident, dispatching a clinical team leader and an ambulance crew.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, HM Coastguard and Tynemouth RNLI also confirmed they attended what the RNLI described as a "multi-agency call".

One Northumbria Police vehicle remained at the scene at around 4pm, Chronicle Live[2] reports.

References

1. ^ Northumbria Police (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ Chronicle Live (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)