2025 Liverpool parade incident

On 26 May 2025, a car drove into a large crowd on Water Street in Liverpool during a victory parade celebrating Liverpool F.C.'s Premier League win. The North West Ambulance Service said that 47 people were injured and 27 were taken to hospital. Merseyside Police arrested a 53-year-old British man.

## Background

Before the crash, Liverpool fans were celebrating the team's win in the 2024–25 Premier League with a large parade. About 1 million people came. The team rode on an open-top bus along a  route from Allerton Maze to The Strand in the city centre. The incident happened 10 minutes after the bus went through the area.

## Incident

Around 6 p.m. BST on 26 May 2025, during the Liverpool parade, a driver got into an argument with people, then drove into a large crowd on Water Street. The car stopped, but when people started hitting the windows, the driver sped up again and hit more people. One person said it looked like he did it on purpose. Some injured people were taken to a nearby restaurant for help.

By 7 p.m., an air ambulance arrived, and police blocked off the area. A 53-year-old white British man was arrested. Counter-terrorism police got involved. A big tent was put up inside the blocked area.

At 9:30 p.m., ambulance officials said the scene was cleared. In a press conference at 10:51 p.m., they said 27 people were taken to hospital, including 4 children. Two people were seriously hurt, one of them a child. Another 20 people had minor injuries. Some went to the hospital by themselves. Firefighters said 4 people, including a child, were stuck under the car and had to be rescued.

## Suspect

Police arrested a 53-year-old man from Merseyside at the scene. They believe he was the driver. The car was said to be a grey Ford Galaxy. Police said this was a one-time incident and not linked to terrorism, because it didn't meet the legal rules for that.

Reuters said that police quickly gave details about the man to stop false rumors, like what happened after the 2024 Southport stabbings when wrong information led to riots.

## Reactions

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident "terrible" and thanked emergency workers. Liverpool F.C. said they were thinking of the people hurt and thanked emergency services too. Steve Rotherham, the mayor of the Liverpool City Region said it was a hard day but that the city stands strong.

The Premier League also sent support and kind words, and even Liverpool's rivals, Everton, said their thoughts were with those affected. Former player Robbie Fowler said it broke his heart and made him feel sick.

Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch said it was scary and awful, and she sent her thoughts to the victims and emergency workers. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also thanked the emergency teams and said the event was shocking. Former Home Secretary James Cleverly said "Liverpool, we stand with you tonight". Many other politicians shared support too, including Kim Johnson, Ed Davey, Nigel Farage, Chris Philp, and Anneliese Midgley.

## Infobox (event)

- **title**: 2025 Liverpool parade incident
- **image**: Liverpool, Water Street - geograph.org.uk - 4454323.jpg
- **caption**: Water Street in 2015
- **date**: 26 May 2025
- **time**: 18:00
- **timezone**: British Summer Time, BST
- **location**: Water Street, Liverpool, Water Street, Liverpool, England
- **type**: Traffic collision
- **injuries**: 47