While there’s a saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going, ” those going through hardships might still feel like they have insurmountable obstacles ahead of them.
Like this man who jumped out of a taxi while it was driving along Yuan Ching Road.
The incident, which occurred on Monday (8 May) at around 8 pm, happened even after the taxi driver tried to counsel him.
After jumping out of the taxi, the man was arrested under the Mental Health Act.
Passenger Started Crying While On the Phone
When speaking about his experience, Mr Chen (Hanyu pinyin), the cabby, told Shin Min Daily News that the passenger in question had boarded his taxi at Bukit Batok.
Upon getting into the taxi, the passenger told Mr Chen to drive him to a coffee shop along Yung Sheng Road in Taman Jurong.
The passenger also started to talk on the phone and cried profusely during his conversation.
Mr Chen recalled how the man told the person on the other side of the phone that he had let his wife down and asked the latter to help take care of his family members.
The passenger even added that he was “preparing to find the loan sharks and get killed by them” before hanging up the phone.
Taxi Driver Tried to Counsel Him Extensively
After hearing the conversation, Mr Chen immediately started counselling the man.
Yup, despite all the grim things that have been happening, there’s still kindness in the world.
The man revealed that he had incurred a large amount of debt due to his gambling habits.
He even claimed that he had cheated on his wife, which apparently contributed to how he felt so guilty towards his wife and felt suicidal.
After hearing the man’s account, Mr Chen firmly told him that he would not send him to the address that he had given Mr Chen.
If the man insisted that he wanted to go there, Mr Chen would only drive him to the police station.
Mr Chen explained to the man that since he was in Mr Chen’s taxi, Mr Chen felt the need to save him.
Cabby Enlisted Help of Nearby Police Ca,r But Man Still Jumped Out of Taxi
When recounting the incident, Mr Chen added that his vehicle arrived at a traffic light in the midst of his conversation with the passenger.
Mr Chen saw a police car patrolling the area in front of him, prompting him to wave at the police officers for help.
In particular, he asked the police officers to follow his taxi.
Around three minutes after that, the passenger suddenly opened the door and wanted to flee the taxi while Mr Chen was still driving the vehicle, much to Mr Chen’s shock.
The police officers following Mr Chen’s taxi saw what was happening and immediately got out of the police car to chase after the passenger.
Eventually, they were able to subdue the man successfully.
When demonstrating how the incident had happened, Mr Chen told Shin Min reporters that the passenger had opened the left passenger door to jump out of the taxi.
Thankfully, there were no cars passing by when the passenger jumped out of Mr Chen’s taxi.
When responding to queries from Shin Min, the police confirmed that they saw a cabby asking for assistance while officers were patrolling along Yuan Ching Road at around 8.25 pm on Monday (8 May).
The taxi driver had claimed that a passenger was trying to jump out of his taxi.
Thereafter, a 45-year-old man was arrested under the Mental Health Act.
No one was injured during the process.
And while life might get stressful or even bleak at times, you don’t have to go through it alone.
Those who need assistance can reach out to the various organisations for mental health support:
- National Care Hotline (Hotline from 8 am to 12 am daily): 1800-202-6868
- TOUCHline (Counselling Hotline from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays): 1800-377-2252
- Samaritans of Singapore (24-hour hotline or 24-hour CareText chat service): 1-767 or 9151 1767 respectively
- Institute of Mental Health (24-hour hotline): 6389 2222
Individuals interested in finding out more about mental health resources and support in Singapore can also visit HealthHub’s website here.