Newspaper vendor, 55, found dead in van 6 hours after parking at Aljunied car park

The van's engine and air conditioning were left running.

Belmont Lay | September 23, 2022, 11:57 AM

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A 55-year-old man was found dead in his van that was left idling.

He was discovered at about 3.20pm on Sep. 21 at the outdoor car park at Block 119 Aljunied Avenue 2, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The deceased was a newspaper vendor.

A 50-year-old furniture shop owner said he saw the newspaper vendor park his vehicle behind his shop at about 9am on Wednesday morning, but did not remember seeing anyone alight.

He said: "In the past year or two, I've often seen him deliver newspapers to nearby businesses, and he usually leaves at about 10am."

Checked on man

A 38-year-old manager of a nearby provision shop went to check things out after he heard that the van's driver had been in his vehicle for some time while leaving the engine and air conditioning on.

He said: "I tapped on the window, but the driver didn't respond."

"I found the door unlocked, so I opened it to check. At that time, the driver wasn't breathing. I shouted a few times, but he didn't respond."

Photo from Shin Min Daily News

Deceased man's wife showed up

A woman, believed to be the wife of the deceased man, subsequently arrived at the scene.

She was seen crying and holding on to the deceased man.

She reportedly said: "Husband, why did you just leave like this!"

The grocery store manager added: "Not long after, the police came. My mother saw [the deceased's wife] crying and comforted her."

No delivery made that morning

The van was reportedly parked at a corner of the car park, which was why no one noticed anything amiss earlier.

The provision shop owner said he typically received his supply of Malaysian newspaper China Press from the newspaper vendor at 9am on the dot, and found it strange that there was no delivery made even at 9:30am.

He added that the deceased would deliver on time regardless of the weather, and he assumed the man was taking a break when he failed to show up.

According to him, the deceased was generally healthy, but was suspected to have injured his left foot as he had been limping as of late.

Police have confirmed that investigations are ongoing.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News