One of three teenagers who died when a car plunged into the River Wear in Sunderland most likely drowned, a coroner has heard. Jackson Duke, 17, Luke Etheridge, 16, and Zara Shaw, 16, died after a black Audi A3 entered the river at Panns Bank just before 13:30 BST on 29 September.
Sunderland's senior coroner David Place opened Jackson Duke's inquest, where coroner's officer Vicky Ross stated Northumbria Police were called to reports of a car entering the river. One of the four occupants managed to escape, but the other three could not and their bodies were later found in the car by divers.
A post-mortem examination on 1 October provisionally concluded that Jackson Duke's cause of death appeared to be "consistent with drowning". Inquests for Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw are scheduled to open later on Monday. A review hearing for Jackson Duke's death is listed for 21 January 2027.
Jackson Duke and Luke Etheridge were from Sunderland, while Zara Shaw was from Houghton-le-Spring. All three were students at Sunderland College.