Four teenagers were seen racing around and playing football on the grass patch located on a car park rooftop at Block 226 Sumang Lane in Punggol at around 3pm on Jul. 7.

According to a video taken by a resident of the HDB estate, at the time, the grass patch, which was said to be located at least two storeys above the ground, was still wet as the rain had just stopped, reported Shin Min Daily News.

While the resident's video only captured three male teens playing at the car park, with two racing and playing football on the grass patch, he said there were four to five teens who ran and played football for about 15 minutes there.

"This is the first time I saw them playing, and I thought it was quite dangerous. What if they fell off the rooftop?" asked the resident.

When a Shin Min reporter arrived at the scene on Jul. 7, she saw a football and a scooter on the rooftop.

The Chinese daily reported that it was believed that the teens climbed onto the rooftop after climbing over the wall of the car park's sky garden.

Residents saw teens playing on rooftop months ago

Other residents of the HDB estate told Shin Min this was not the first time that teens were seen playing on the rooftop.

A resident, who declined to be named, said he saw around seven teens playing football on the rooftop as early as two months ago.

"They appeared to age between 10 and 14, and they would play football on Mondays, Fridays, and between 3pm and 7pm on weekends," he added.

While the resident said the teens would generate noise while playing, they didn't cause inconvenience for the residents as they never played after dark.

Similarly, a domestic helper named Annie also said she saw some teens playing on the rooftop in June 2024, adding that they would play on the ground floor of the HDB block as well.

She said she hoped the teens' parents could discipline the teens better as tragedy could strike if they accidentally fell off the rooftop and injured their heads.

Police seen speaking to four teens

While another resident had tried to persuade the teens not to play on the rooftop, the teens allegedly dismissed the resident's concerns.

The resident said that when they told the teens that someone might eventually file a complaint against them if they continued playing there, the teens asked the resident to "stop talking" and "go away" before resuming their activities.

On Jul. 7, Annie told Shin Min that she saw police at the HDB block at around 5pm, who she believed were called in by a resident.

At around 6pm, a Shin Min reporter also saw two police officers talking to four teens after locating them around the HDB block.

Case from 2020

On Jan. 8, 2020, a 13-year-old girl passed away after falling from the sixth floor of a multi-storey car park located at Block 526B Pasir Ris Street 51.

Before her fatal fall, she was reportedly cycling around on the sixth storey and playing with her friends when she lost control of her bicycle and rammed into the railing.

According to residents from nearby HDB blocks, children liked to play on the empty upper levels of the car park, and they were often "unsupervised".

Older kids also allegedly practised parkour on the roof garden or gathered in groups at the car park at night.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News