It was a white girl with brown hair: Jimmy Gracey’s friends finally revealed the last person he spoke to at Shoko’s bar and confirmed what his last drink was, as his family insisted he was never drunk and couldn’t have fallen into the water

The River Nene tragedy near North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, has taken yet another poignant and clarifying turn with new statements from Jimmy Gracey‘s friends and family. Amid mounting speculation about his state of mind and activities in the early hours of March 17, 2026—hours before the fatal 8:20 PM crash—close associates have finally identified the last person he spoke to at Shoko (a local venue or bar area in the Wisbech waterfront vicinity) as a white girl with brown hair. They have also emphatically confirmed his last drink was non-alcoholic, aligning with prior assertions from his roommate, fraternity members, and family that Jimmy was sober throughout the night and could not have accidentally fallen into the water due to intoxication.

Jimmy’s family has long insisted he was never drunk that evening, pushing back against any narrative suggesting impairment led to a misstep near water or influenced events tied to the group. Friends now corroborate this, revealing he stuck to water or soft drinks while out. The identification of the final conversational partner—a young white woman with brown hair—comes after earlier reports of a two-minute exchange at approximately 3:38 a.m. with a man in dark clothing who pointed toward the water. This new detail shifts focus: the woman, described as someone Jimmy briefly spoke with inside or just outside Shoko, was the absolute last person he interacted with before parting ways. Witnesses and friends emphasize the conversation appeared casual and brief, with no signs of distress in that specific moment, though Jimmy’s overall demeanor that night had been marked by unease.

This revelation ties into the broader timeline of Jimmy’s reported anxiety. His roommate shared 2:58 a.m. messages hinting he felt watched, fraternity members recalled him stopping outside Shoko and glancing at figures along the docks with a horrified expression, and the earlier 1:23-minute voice note featured a trembling laugh and whispered “be careful.” The Shoko sighting of the brown-haired woman adds a human face to his final pre-dawn hours, but it also raises questions: Was she known to him, or a chance encounter? Did their talk touch on whatever unsettled him earlier? Police are gathering information on all individuals from that night, including this woman, to assess any connection to the later crash involving Declan Berry’s blue Volkswagen Polo.

Jimmy remains unconfirmed as an occupant of the vehicle (which carried Declan Berry, 18, presumed driver and still missing; Eden Bunn, 16, recovered deceased on March 18; and three survivors—two 16-year-old girls and an 18-year-old boy). His proximity to the group and the pre-incident warnings make his story integral to understanding potential external or psychological factors. Surveillance showed the car swerving seconds before plunging in, survivors alleged something horrifying in the driver’s seat, and the persistent mystery of unopenable doors amid rapid submersion continues.

Cambridgeshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit has not commented specifically on the Shoko woman or Jimmy’s sobriety confirmation, but the probe remains thorough amid the river’s tidal challenges. Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler and Detective Chief Inspector Garry Webb reiterate appeals for witnesses or footage (incident 515 of March 17), while prioritizing family support. Declan’s brother Connor previously highlighted his sibling’s army dreams, humor, and excitement over his new car—dreams left unfinished. Eden’s family remembers her as the “kindest, most loving girl,” with tributes still accumulating along the banks.

As searches for Declan enter their seventh day (as of March 23), Jimmy’s friends’ disclosures serve dual purposes: defending his character against drunken-fall theories and adding nuance to the night’s prelude. The white girl with brown hair emerges as a key figure in piecing together what Jimmy experienced before the tragedy unfolded. Whether her conversation held clues to his warnings or the swerve remains unclear, but it underscores the chain of small moments that can lead to irreversible loss. The community mourns two young lives—one ended, one suspended—while awaiting answers from the water and the investigation.