Man who died trying to help stranger ‘will be remembered for helping others’
Chris Marriott, 46, died when a car ploughed into a crowd on a Sheffield street as he was providing first-aid to an injured woman.
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Your support makes all the difference.A father-of-two who died when a car ploughed into a crowd of people as he was trying to assist a stranger will be remembered for helping others, a church group has said.
Chris Marriott, 46, was walking in Sheffield with his wife and two young sons, aged eight and six, when he went to the aid of a woman he spotted lying unconscious in the street, police have said.
As Mr Marriott was providing first aid to the woman, a car collided with them both and others.
Officers said a call had been made reporting a violent disturbance on College Close, in the Burngreave area of the city, and two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Tributes have mounted for Mr Marriott, who has been described as a “Good Samaritan” by police and was a much-loved member of his church.
He worked for the charity Community Money Advice (CMA), helped set up and run the Jubilee Food Bank in Sheffield and was a member of City Church, in the city.
The church group ChristCentral, which includes City Church, said in a statement that everyone was “deeply shocked” by Mr Marriott’s death.
It said: “Chris died doing what so many will remember him for, helping others.
Chris died doing what so many will remember him for – helping others
“He had stopped to help an unconscious woman lying in the street and as he was providing first aid, a car collided with Chris, the woman and others.
“Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with his wife, and their two young sons.
“This is an unbelievably awful situation and we are heartbroken for the family.
“Please pray for them, for Chris’ wider family and friends, and for City Church Sheffield as they try to process this loss.”
Mr Marriott worked as IT manager for the charity Community Money Advice (CMA).
Heather Keates, the founder and chief executive of CMA, said: “He wanted to give people hope and, therefore, he was prepared to go the extra mile for people.
“His generosity, his care for people, his compassion for people, this was the root of who he was.
“He was a caring and compassionate man.”
Ms Keates said: “He wanted to make a difference in his community and he made a big difference.”
She said: “He leaves a wife and two young children.
“That’s our biggest concern now, for the family and how they move forward.”
Ms Keates said Mr Marriott had died in “truly tragic circumstances”.
She said he was “completely irreplaceable” to the charity, which runs 180 face-to-face advice centres.
He worked as its IT manager since 2021 but had previously run one of the charity’s advice centres in Sheffield.
Ms Keates said: “He understood it from the IT side and he understood it from the clients side too.”
And she added: “His skill set was so complete and specialised.”
Mr Marriott’s brother-in-law Luke Tonge said on Facebook: “Our Chris was a kind man who loved his family and truly lived to help others — and our hearts are broken.
“Please pray for my sister and their boys, and the family & friends who are grieving such an incalculable loss.”
South Yorkshire Police confirmed that Mr Marriott was out for a post-Christmas walk with his family when he went to the aid of the woman just after 2pm on Wednesday.
It is believed the woman had been involved in an altercation and several other people suffered injuries during the incident, including an off-duty midwife who had also stopped to help.
A police spokeswoman said the woman Mr Marriott was helping remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition.
She said the off-duty midwife suffered minor injuries, another man received serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening and four further people, three women and a man, suffered minor injuries.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and a 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Both remained in custody on Friday morning.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Knowles said: “This is an utterly heartbreaking case in which a Good Samaritan, who had stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need, has lost his life.
“Chris leaves behind a loving family including his devastated wife and two young sons.
“We are absolutely determined to secure justice for Chris and his loved ones following this horrific tragedy.”
Burngreave residents said the incident happened outside a house at the junction of College Close and College Court, two quiet cul-de-sacs of modern houses near Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.
Neighbours said the altercation was related to some kind of dispute between two families relating to a wedding.
Mr Knowles said: “Increased patrols will continue in the area in the coming days and local people will continue to see officers carrying out inquiries, including going house to house to gather witness statements.
“There are people in that community who hold information which is vital to our investigation and have not yet given statements.
“I want to be able to get to the bottom of what happened for Chris and his family.
“I need those people with information to do the right thing.”
Tarek Nayli, 49, said he came out of his nearby home to see fighting in the street, a number of injured people and neighbours telling him there were others trapped under a car.
Mr Nayli said: “I heard a lot of sound, a lot of voices, a lot of shouting.
“When I came out, I found people all gathering around and people fighting.
“One guy had a lot of blood on his face.”
Mr Nayli said: “The whole neighbourhood was out.”
He said: “They said there were people underneath the car and when the police came they managed to get them out.
“When the police came, they flipped the car over and they’ve taken two people out.”
He said: “It was very, very sad and also very upsetting and I couldn’t believe it.
“All of a sudden you find people dead and a very big crime.
“This is a disaster.”