Elderly man killed by falling wine bottle at condo

An elderly man was killed after he was hit on the head by a wine bottle that plummeted from height at a 36-storey condominium in Tanjong Pagar on Sunday evening.

The New Paper understands the 73-year-old man, who has been identified as delivery driver Nasiari Sunee, was by the swimming pool when he was knocked unconscious by the falling bottle.

A police spokesman said the incident happened at Spottiswoode 18 in Spottiswoode Park at about 8.30pm and have classified it as a case of rash act causing death.

If convicted, the culprit can be jailed up to five years and fined.

He added that the man was hit on the head by the bottle which fell from height.

Mr Nasiari was unconscious when he was taken to the Singapore General Hospital and died from his injuries on Monday.

No arrest has been made in relation to the case. Police investigations are ongoing.

The luxury freehold condominium has 251 units.

Mr Nasiari had gone to a housewarming party and had just sat down with his wife and relatives at a table in the barbecue pit area by the pool when he was hit.

His eldest daughter, Madam Nas Suriati Nasiari, told The Straits Times that he collapsed on the floor and was bleeding from the head.

The 44-year-old service manager said that they saw "an alcohol bottle" on the table. It was not broken.

BOTTLE RICOCHETED

Madam Nas Suriati added that her family called the police after the incident and tried to look for the person responsible for the killer litter.

The family members believe the bottle had ricocheted off Mr Nasiari's head and hit his wife, who had bruises on her shoulder.

They said his blood pressure plunged on Monday morning, and he died at about 9am after they decided not to resuscitate him.

Mr Nasiari, who had three other children and nine grandchildren, was buried yesterday.

A resident who lives on the ninth storey told TNP that she saw a commotion at the pool on Sunday evening.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, said: "I looked down and saw a man lying on the floor and people gathered around him. I think they were having a barbecue or party when something happened."

Other residents said police officers knocked on their doors and questioned them on Monday.

Mr Jonathan Lee, 22, who lives on the 29th storey, said: "Two police officers asked me questions such as whether I was drinking wine and where I was that night."

Several police vehicles and personnel believed to be plain-clothes officers were seen entering the condominium yesterday evening.

The officers and vehicles were still there past 10pm last night.

The last reported death in the media from killer litter was in 2014, when a 16-year-old boy threw a bicycle wheel from the 14th storey of a block in Eunos Crescent.

The wheel hit the head of a retiree as she was walking home, injuring her spinal cord and brain.

She died about three weeks later in hospital of sepsis from a urinary tract infection.

The boy later admitted to four other killer litter offences committed over a period of a year. He was sentenced to three years' probation.

There have been other recent cases of killer litter reported without deaths.

Last year, more than 1,200 cases of high-rise littering were reported to the National Environment Agency and cameras were deployed to more than 1,000 areas with a persistent high-rise littering problem.