Man dies after falling several levels in Ngee Ann City mall

A man fell five storeys inside a crowded Ngee Ann City yesterday afternoon, narrowly missing shoppers before landing in basement two of Tower B.

Shoppers and retail staff were stunned as a pool of blood formed around the unconscious man while some people tried to help him.

The police said they were alerted to the incident at 2.07pm, and a 35-year-old man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where he died from his injuries.

The New Paper understands TTSH was on standby to receive the injured man who was taken there in an ambulance.

The police are investigating the case of unnatural death.

Witnesses told TNP the man was seen coming out from a toilet corridor on the third storey at about 2pm.

Mr Jerdy Ang, 21, a waiter at Patties and Wiches cafe, said his colleague saw the man fall.

"My colleague said the guy walked briskly out from the toilet corridor and jumped over the railing by himself," he said.

"There was no shouting and he seemed to be alone."

Mr Ang said his colleagues told him to see what happened, and he was shaken by the scene at basement two, where the man had landed in front of the ActionCity Plus kiosk.

"I saw the guy on the ground in a navy shirt bleeding from his head. He was not moving," he added.

Ms Sophia Ong, 34, a sales supervisor at Vilebrequin, a swimwear store on the third storey, said the sound of a loud thud caused shoppers and staff to run out to see what happened.

She said: "I looked down and saw people going forward with tissue paper to help the man. When the paramedics arrived, they performed (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on him."

• HELPLINES

  • Samaritans of Singapore 1800-221-4444
  • Singapore Association for Mental Health 1800-283-7019
  • Institute of Mental Health 6389-2222
  • Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin) 1800-353-5800
  • Shan You Counselling Centre (Mandarin) 6741-0078

The police cordoned off part of basement two until about 5pm and an area outside the toilet corridor on the third storey until about 4pm.

Investigators were seen collecting forensic evidence from a portion of the railing from which the man fell.

An ActionCity employee, Ms Insyirah Jamal, 20, told Channel News Asia she was serving two customers when she heard a noise and saw something flash past her, but she did not realise what it was until she saw the man land next to the customers.

Ms Insyirah added that the man had fallen "sideways, head first" and his hair had brushed against one of the customers.

Two women who declined to be named later told reporters they were shocked when the man landed in front of them.

It was not clear if they were the customers at ActionCity, and they left the mall after giving statements to the police.

A man who identified himself as an ActionCity manager told TNP his staff at the kiosk were traumatised by the incident and went home after giving statements to the police.

Many curious shoppers were seen taking photos and videos at the scene, and images of the incident were shared online.

A Ngee Ann City spokesman said it was assisting the affected staff and businesses, and would conduct a review to see if there is a need for additional safety measures in the mall.

In 2017, a teenager fell to his death from the fourth-storey link bridge between Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway.

A coroner's inquiry found that the 17-year-old had vaulted over a barrier onto a ledge, which gave way and caused him to fall 18m.

He was pronounced dead at TTSH. The case was ruled a tragic misadventure.

In 2015, a 48-year-old Indonesian man died after falling from the fifth storey of Wisma Atria and landed near the escalator on the second storey.

The case was classified as an unnatural death.