Mr Ong, 60, lives next to a 76-year-old man who was found dead in a one-room rental flat on the seventh storey of Block 8, French Road.
Initially, he did not think much of the strange smell coming from his neighbour’s flat early last week. But he became concerned on the third day.
The former taxi driver, who declined to give his full name, told The New Paper: “On Tuesday, I saw flies and the smell became worse. It smelt like rotting meat or a dead cat. Then I sensed something was wrong.
“His toilet window is right next to mine and when the wind blew, I could smell the stench. It was quite strong.”
Mr Ong called The New Paper hotline and the report was published on Nov 9.
Stomp, Lianhe Wanbao
He said he remembered the man as a quiet but friendly uncle who worked as a security guard and would make small talk with him.
After calling the police, he called TNP to raise awareness of the many elderly people who live alone in one-room flats which do not have an alarm system.
He said: “My 20-storey block doesn’t have the alarm system, although there are many elderly living here. I live alone and I don’t want this to happen to me.”
TNP, together with Lions Befrienders Service Association and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, organises Project Helping Hands, a charity project to help elderly people who live alone. To volunteer, you can call Lions Befrienders at 1800-375-8600.
Mr Xie Feng Jie, 28, was another reader who called the TNP hotline with a tip-off.
An LRT vehicle on the Sengkang East LRT line had broken down due to a burst tyre at about 5pm on Tuesday.
Mr Xie lives at Rivervale Crescent, near Rumbia station.
“I was resting at home when I heard a loud noise, as if something mechanical had exploded,” he said.
“I rushed to my window and saw that the LRT had stopped. After a few minutes, an ambulance and the police came to the scene.”
The report was published on Nov 9.
An anonymous reader alerted TNP to a story about students taking upskirt photos of their teachers, which was the cover story of TNP’s Oct 29 edition. The report reached more than 11,000 views online.
For sharing these stories, each hotline caller will receive a $100 Texas Chicken voucher.
We value and appreciate your calls and e-mails, so keep them coming.
You can call us at 1800-733-4455, SMS or MMS 9477-8899 or e-mail us at tnp@sph.com.sg.
My 20-storey block doesn’t have the alarm system, although there are many elderly living here. I live alone and I don’t want this to happen to me.
bxliew@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Nov 14, 2016.
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