Police are examining a shocking video, reportedly uploaded to Instagram, showing a car speeding at over 120mph through a built-up area of Bolton the night before a catastrophic head-on collision that claimed four lives.
The Fatal Collision and Victims
The devastating crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning on Wigan Road. A Seat Leon, carrying three teenagers, collided head-on with a private hire Citroen C4 Picasso at around 12.45am.
All three young men in the Seat and the taxi driver died at the scene. Police have named the teenagers as Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar and Farhan Patel, both 18, and Mohammed Danyaal, 19. The taxi driver was 54-year-old Masrob Ali, a father-of-four described by his family as a 'safe' driver.
Five passengers from both vehicles were taken to hospital, with a 29-year-old woman in the Citroen sustaining potentially life-threatening injuries.
Disturbing Social Media Footage Under Scrutiny
Detectives from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now analysing a 29-second video clip, understood to have been posted on Instagram by one of the teenagers who died. The footage, filmed in the early hours of Saturday, is believed to show the same Seat Leon involved in the crash.
The heart-stopping clip shows the vehicle weaving through traffic on a residential street at night, at times veering onto the wrong side of the road to overtake. At one point, the camera pans to the car's digital speedometer, which displays 122mph. The road has a 30mph limit.
A family friend of one of the deceased teens branded the video 'stupid' and 'crazy', stating the boy's father was 'absolutely broken'. A local garage worker who knew the youths said, 'They post stupid videos speeding in the cars, all sorts of things... they shouldn't be doing that kind of speed on that road.'
Long-Standing Road Safety Fears Ignored, Say Residents
In the wake of the tragedy, furious residents living near Wigan Road have revealed they have been pleading for traffic calming measures for years, only to be told accident statistics did not justify action.
One local, a married father, said collisions happen 'every couple of months'. He cited a crash just before Christmas outside a primary school, only a few hundred yards from Sunday's fatal incident, where debris remains. Residents claim the council and police said previous incidents, which did not involve serious injury, meant data did not support installing speed cameras or other measures.
'We said it was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this happened,' the resident added. A grandfather of eight who has lived in the area for 25 years stated, 'The traffic problems are getting worse and worse... We need action to slow the traffic down.'
Masrob Ali's daughter, Humayra Ali, 29, paid tribute to her father, saying, 'He was just the kindest man... Everyone described him as the sweetest, most gentle soul.' She added the family was comforted by the belief the crash did not appear to be his fault.
Detective Inspector Andrew Page urged the public to be mindful of sharing crash footage on social media, warning it could cause further distress to families and may constitute a criminal offence. Police continue to appeal for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Bolton Council has been approached for comment regarding the residents' long-standing safety concerns.
