A driver plummeted to his death after his car fell from a cliff face in the middle of the night.
Northumbria Police officers are urging witnesses to come forward after the man fell from the cliffs around 11.45pm on Thursday 6 June.
Police had received a report showing concern for the safety of a man after a vehicle left the A183 Coast Road at Marsden in South Shields.
Police said they were investigating why the vehicle rolled over a grassy area next to the road before falling from the cliffs.
Sergeant Stephen Scorer, of Northumbria Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “This is a tragic incident in which a man has sadly lost his life.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.
“We’re doing everything we can to try to understand what happened in the moments leading up to the vehicle leaving the road.
“If anyone has any information which they think will help in our enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.”
Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact Northumbria Police via the ‘Report’ page of the Force website, or by calling 101 quoting reference NP-20240606-1290.