Person Threw Bricks Down from HDB Flat, Narrowly Missing a Passer-by

Everyone living in Singapore should know that high-rise littering is illegal—it’s been a popular subject of compositions and oral examinations since primary school. 

This man, however, did not seem to get the message. He threw bricks down from the 8th storey of his HDB flat on multiple occasions, one of which almost hit a passer-by.

Understandably disgruntled by the killer litter, the passer-by took to Facebook to detail the incident.

What Happened

In a Facebook post on 11 April, user Erwin Tan wrote about the incident, seemingly shaken by the events that transpired.

According to him, someone had thrown bricks down from the 8th storey while he was walking under a block of HDB flats.

He said that if it’d happened just three seconds earlier, he would’ve been injured by the falling bricks. 

“I could’ve been badly injured, or posting this from hell,” Erwin Tan wrote, evidently trying to make light of a terrifying situation. “How could this happen?”

Making matters worse, this was apparently the second time it happened in less than a month. Likewise, he surmised that he could’ve been killed or severely injured if the bricks had fallen just seconds sooner.

“I hope someone out there ain’t sending me a [message] or a hint,” he expressed, rightfully distressed.

The pictures he attached to the post show bricks smashed into fine pieces in multiple locations, narrowly missing cars parked below. 

In a terrifying shot, a figure of a person can be seen staring down at him from the HDB corridor high above, as if triumphantly bearing witness to his horrific act.

Police Report Made

The comments section urged Erwin Tan to report the incident to the police, citing how dangerous the culprit’s behaviour was. 

In a comment under his post, he appended that he made a police report after it happened. 

Worried that an innocent passer-by would get injured by the man’s actions next time, he said that in retrospect, he should’ve “handled the situation differently” to “apprehend the culprit”.

He expressed that he was not in the “right frame of mind”, but it was justifiable since he was just seconds away from death.

Replying to another comment, Erwin Tan added that other passers-by also witnessed the man attempting to toss a fourth brick down. Upon shouting at the culprit, he immediately retracted.

The post has since gained 63 likes, with commenters sharing his shock and fear about the incident. 

Firmer Stance Against High-Rise Littering

In Parliament on 6 February 2023, new laws were passed against high-rise litterers under the new Environmental Public Health Act.

New amendments indicate that the registered owners or tenants of a unit found and proven to be the source of high-rise littering will be presumed as the offenders, unless they can convincingly demonstrate otherwise within a given time frame.

According to Senior Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Amy Khor, feedback on high-rise littering has risen by more than 60%, with approximately 31,200 cases between 2020 and 2022. 

A person convicted of high-rise littering for the first time can be fined up to $2,000, and repeat offenders can be fined up to $10,000 and be given Corrective Work Orders (CWO).