A woman in Singapore witnessed a man masturbating in public in the Chinatown area. Instead of backing down, she bravely pursued him after he left, eventually catching him on a pedestrian bridge and calling the police, who arrived to arrest the suspect.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the incident happened around 4pm on the 15th at the upper section of Kreta Ayer Road in Chinatown. The woman involved is Ms. Wu, a 34-year-old administrative manager.
In response to Lianhe Zaobao’s inquiry, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that a 59-year-old man was arrested for committing an obscene act in public, and the case is under investigation.
Ms. Wu, when interviewed, said that she was standing outside her office at the time when a stranger approached her, then started “shaking” his clothes. “At first, I thought he was just cooling off, but on closer look I was shocked to discover he was actually masturbating in public.” She immediately took out her phone to photograph the scene as evidence, and the man then walked away.
Thinking of Her Own Daughter
As she watched the man's departing figure, and thought of her own daughter, Ms. Wu decided not to let it go. She followed along his route, and finally spotted him on a pedestrian bridge near Berseh Market.
"I can't imagine what could happen if he did this to vulnerable groups or children. That's why I felt I had to make sure he was caught."
Ms. Wu said she went up and grabbed the man by his collar and reprimanded him sternly. “He apologized, saying he was drunk, but I didn’t accept that excuse.”
Female Colleague Arrives to Assist and Calls Police
Subsequently, one of Ms. Wu’s female colleagues arrived to assist. However, the man not only ogled both women’s private parts with ill intent, but also verbally threatened to hit them. Police arrived shortly after and handcuffed and took the man away on the spot.
When asked why no one else intervened, Ms. Wu admitted that she was focused entirely on watching the man and hadn’t noticed the surroundings. “There wasn’t a physical altercation, it was mostly cursing back and forth. Maybe others didn’t feel the need to get involved.”
Reflecting on the frightening experience, Ms. Wu said she did not feel traumatized. On the contrary, she was glad to have had a second chance to catch him after he left the first time, potentially preventing future harm. She also posted the incident on social media to raise public awareness and emphasized that such behavior must not be tolerated.