Haunting CCTV has captured the final moments of TOWIE star Jordan Wright before he was found dead in a drainage canal in Thailand.
The 33-year-old from Basildon, Essex – who previously dated Vicky Pattison – can be seen in the footage looking over his shoulder as he sprints back to his hotel on the island of Phuket shortly before midnight on Thursday, March 12.
Police said the circumstances leading up to Jordan’s death are ‘unclear’ and it is possible ‘other people were involved’.
Officers are investigating whether he was running from another person as he frantically returned to the hotel where he was staying.
In the CCTV, Jordan can be seen grabbing onto a white Toyota pickup truck to steady himself as he rounds a corner.
He then continues running erratically through the grounds of the four-star Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao Beach, where rooms cost around £23 a night.
Jordan, who had arrived in Thailand in December on a digital nomad visa, was seen pacing erratically before running out of the hotel grounds again and dashing across surrounding fields.
He was found dead in a drainage canal on a construction site by a Burmese worker two days later. He was said to have been lying face down in stagnant water.
There are no CCTV cameras in the area of wasteland where his body was discovered.
Officials said the body appeared to have been there for some time, but there did not seem to be any sign of physical assault.
Police are now investigating whether Jordan was running from another person as he frantically returned to the hotel.
Lieutenant Colonel Sutthirak Chuthong of Choeng Thale district station added: ‘The circumstances leading up to the death are quite unclear. It is possible that other people were involved.’
A source at the hotel said today that Jordan had been staying alone and had not had any guests.
They added: ‘He would go out at night like other guests. There was nothing unusual until we could not find him when he was due to check out.’
Police officers said a worker from Myanmar who was harvesting vegetables discovered Jordan’s body and alerted officials on Saturday afternoon.
His new iPhone 17 is thought to have been found on a nearby bank, while his pocket contained a hotel key card for Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao.
Officers later found Jordan’s beloved white Kawasaki motorcycle parked at the hotel, which he had been riding around the island.
Hotel staff told police he was due to check out on Friday, March 13, but they had been unable to reach him.
Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao Beach is rated four stars according to Booking.com and offers ‘spacious rooms with private balconies, and modern amenities’.
It describes itself as ‘perfect for romantic getaways’ and is located around a five to ten minute walk from a white sandy beach.
There is a large outdoor pool, range of wellness facilities and a hot tub.
Lieutenant Colonel Thongchai Matitham added: ‘Hotel records showed that he had checked in alone and was due to check out on March 13, but staff reported that he never checked out.
‘CCTV footage showed that he appeared restless and was moving back and forth in front of the hotel before leaving the area.
‘His movements eventually led to the location where his body was later discovered.
‘We are still waiting for the autopsy results from Vachira Phuket Hospital to determine whether drugs were present in his system.
‘The case remains under investigation while we wait for the official autopsy results. CCTV footage related to the incident is part of the case file and cannot be released at this stage.
‘We cannot confirm the exact cause of death until the autopsy results are released. If relatives or friends have concerns about the cause of death, they can contact the police station.’
Jordan starred in eight episodes of Ex On The Beach in 2017 and 17 episodes of TOWIE in 2018.
The chisel-jawed firefighter became a huge hit with fans for flirting with Courtney Green, as well as taking part in an explosive on-screen fight with her ex-boyfriend, Myles Barnett.
But he was later reportedly axed from the ITV series amid claims he was taking paid sick leave from the London Fire Brigade to film the show.
He later quit reality TV altogether to return to his job as a firefighter.
As the news broke of Jordan’s death, tributes from fellow reality stars, influencers, DJs and fitness enthusiasts who shared his passion for sports and music flooded his Instagram profile.
He appears to have spent several weeks in Thailand prior to his death, with social media referring to his ‘new life’ in the country amid videos showing him riding fast motorbikes, enjoying time on the beach and indulging in martial arts training.
A final post, dated March 6, showed a photograph of Jordan relaxing with a glass of wine in an infinity pool, alongside videos of him on boat trips, posing with a motorbike, scuba diving and eating local cuisine against the scenic landscape.
Authorities are now awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of Jordan’s death.
His former manager Alex Shafiq told the Daily Mail that Jordan was a ‘fun lad’ who ‘lit up any room with his smile’.
He said: ‘I’m a good judge of character and I knew Jordan was a great person from the moment I met him.
‘He was a very good looking lad, with a great, wide smile. He tried TV for a bit but DJing was his real passion, that’s what he wanted to focus on.’
Close friend and DJ Stuart Hart said: ‘Jordan was a really lovely boy, always happy and fun to be around, always supportive, whether it was coming to my gigs or DJing at my parties, he was always up for a good time. [He was] one of the good ones.’
Neighbour Sandra, who has lived in the same road as the family for more than 40 years, remembered Jordan from when he was born and said he was ‘a normal, polite lad’.
She said: ‘Jordan was a very nice young lad and a bit cheeky. He used to visit, but [the family] kept to themselves. If I did see him, he always used to wave from the car and I used to wave back.
‘I’ve never had any problems with his family. [He and his brother] were really good boys. I can’t knock them.
‘Occasionally [my kids and the brothers] used to play football out there together. He was just a normal polite lad.
‘I hate hearing things like this. I know what they’re going through. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.’
Others close to Jordan left a stream of heartfelt tributes on his social media. One described him as ‘such a lovely person gone far too soon’, while another said he would be ‘sorely missed’.
Many said they were ‘shocked’ by the news, calling his death ‘absolutely heartbreaking’.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Police chief Sutthirak Chuthong of Choeng Thale district station said: ‘The guest was identified as Mr Jordan Wright, a British national, whom the hotel had been unable to contact. A search of the room revealed no signs of forced entry or other irregularities.’
He added: ‘Hotel records showed that he had checked in alone and was due to check out on March 13, but staff reported that he never checked out.
‘CCTV footage showed that he appeared restless and was moving back and forth in front of the hotel before leaving the area.
‘His movements eventually led to the location where his body was later discovered.
‘We are still waiting for the autopsy results from Vachira Phuket Hospital to determine whether drugs were present in his system.’
Police Lieutenant Colonel Suthirak Chuthong of the Choeng Thale Police Station said the Briton is believed to have been dead for no more than two days before being discovered.
He added: ‘The case remains under investigation while we wait for the official autopsy results. CCTV footage related to the incident is part of the case file and cannot be released at this stage.
‘We cannot confirm the exact cause of death until the autopsy results are released. If relatives or friends have concerns about the cause of death, they can contact the police station.’
