Overview
- Essex Police said a motorbike failed to stop in Ongar, Essex, and after officers pursued it, the bike collided with a van and the rider died at the scene.
- The family identified the rider as 35-year-old musician Paul Hardcastle Jr, who played saxophone and worked as a DJ.
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed it has launched an independent investigation following the police pursuit and fatal collision.
- Police arrested the van driver in connection with the incident and later released him under investigation.
- Paul Hardcastle Sr recounted on Instagram that his son’s car had been impounded with his saxophone inside and said his son took a non-road-certified scrambler to retrieve it, adding that he believed an unmarked police car briefly followed before the crash.