High-Speed Chase Ends in Dramatic Crash: Red Car Collision Evokes Memories of Tragic Tanjong Pagar BMW Incident
On the early morning of Friday, 15 December 2023, a red car lost control and collided with a lamp post while evading a police chase.
The car spun 180 degrees before stopping in front of a shop 20 metres away.
The male driver and three passengers quickly abandoned the car and fled the scene on foot towards Tras Street, while a male and female passenger left behind were arrested by the police.
The passengers were wanted by the police for suspected drug related offences.
This incident took place at 81 Tanjong Pagar Road, approximately 120 metres away from the site of the fatal BMW crash two years ago, which resulted in five deaths and one injury.
Early Morning Highway Chase Leads to Crash
According to Lianhe Zaobao, The Singapore Police Force stated that at 4:37AM on Friday, officers spotted a speeding car along South Bridge Road.
When signalled to stop, the driver ignored the instructions and instead accelerated, triggering a highway chase that resulted in the crash at Tanjong Pagar Road.
Residents living near the area told Lianhe Zaobao that they were abruptly awoken by a loud crash at around 5AM in the morning.
A homemaker who lives nearby mentioned that her husband, while getting ready in the early morning, heard a noise outside and witnessed the entire accident from the window.
Her husband recounts three or four people running out of the car after it stopped, heading in different directions. He describes them as running “very fast and seemed sober”.
The homemaker also told reporters that they often hear the sound of engines racing in the vicinity during late nights or early mornings.
Photos from eyewitnesses depict the red two-door car heavily damaged with the engine exposed, front bumper missing and the driver’s airbag also activated.
20 metres away, the lamp post was severely deformed, with the car’s missing front bumper lying nearby.
If it were not for the lamp post, the car would have crashed directly into building 73 of Tanjong Pagar Road, repeating the tragic incident from two years ago.
(That incident involves a speeding white BMW losing control and crashing into building 37 on Tanjong Pagar Road, and the car burst into flames after the crash. Five people were killed in that accident, and the sole survivor suffered burns on 80% of her body.)
Eye-witnesses also report several police cars present at the scene, as well as dogs deployed for investigation.
A woman with golden hair and a white sleeveless top was also seen being taken away by the police in handcuffs.
Responding to inquiries by Lianhe Zaobao, police reported that a 22-year-old female passenger and a 32-year-old male passenger were arrested for suspected drug-related offences.
The male passenger was subsequently hospitalised in a conscious state.
When reporters arrived at the scene around 9AM, the involved vehicle had been towed away, leaving only a small amount of debris on the road. Workers were replacing the damaged lamp post.
Police investigations are still ongoing.