Probation called for teen who trespassed onto MRT tracks & hid under bed of elderly woman

A teenage trespasser, 17, who filmed himself loitering on operational MRT tracks along Upper Changi Road East, between Simei and Tanah Merah stations, had his case adjourned, as the Judge called for probation and reformative training suitability reports. 

He climbed scaffolding to enter the barred area and posted a video of the passing trains onto the internet, reported CNA.

Months after in a separate incident, dressed only in underwear and shoes, the trespasser hid under the bed of an elderly woman, 86, to escape from the police. 

Tracks were in use during his trespass

The unnamed teen whose identity is protected by the Children and Young Persons Act, noticed and planned to scale two scaffolding structures to reach the tracks. 

At around 8pm on Mar. 27, 2025, he waited for workers to vacate.

Wearing his shirt as a mask, he slid through a fence gap and slithered towards the scaffolding.

He remained low, observing and avoiding surveillance cameras. 

At around 8:18pm, he reached the East-West Line MRT tracks and lingered for around five to 10 minutes, watching four to six trains pass by, reported CNA.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Xu Sijia stated that the teen avoided detection by laying beside the tracks, an act that endangered public safety. 

"When he heard an approaching train, he lay down beside the train track to avoid detection and recorded a video of the passing train with his phone...

The accused knew that he entered and crossed the train tracks during the operational hours of the MRT and wilfully endangered the safety of persons travelling along the train tracks."

Posted on Instagram

Once he left the tracks, he posted a video of his trespassing exploits onto his Instagram Story under the "close friends" list.

He uploaded a video of the trespass onto his second Instagram account on Jun. 9.

The video went viral before he deleted the account to avoid identification.

The police were alerted to the video after a tip-off from an SMRT staff member on Jun. 10.

After he pleaded guilty on Nov. 25, to one count of trespass and one count under the Rapid Transit Systems Act of wilfully endangering safety, Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh adjourned the case. 

During court proceedings, another count of trespass and one count of obstructing justice was also raised.

The charge for obstructing justice originated from the teen's Instagram account deletion and the subsequent act of telling his friends to lie that the video was generated from artificial intelligence.

Hid under sleeping elderly woman's bed

Months later, on May 16, 2025 at around 11pm, the teen attempted to climb onto the roof of his HDB block dressed only in his underwear and shoes, reported CNA.

A resident heard him and called the police upon seeing him lean on the parapet ledge.

The teen continued his climb as soon as the resident left.

As he sat on the roof, video calling and listening to music, the police arrived.

Hearing shouting, the teen descended using ledges and laundry racks.

However, he realised that onlookers and police were waiting at the foot of the block.

Looking for an escape route, the teen threw himself into the open window of a unit belonging to an 86-year-old woman.

He tried to pry open the windows leading to her corridor but stopped when he heard the footsteps of approaching officers.

Instead of running, he chose to hide under her bed as she lay asleep.

He surrendered 30 minutes later after finding her house keys and unlocking the front door.

Offences

The president of SMRT Trains told Mothership in July 2025, that the viral video was filmed where construction works for new viaducts connecting to the future East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID) were being built.

Track trespassing was highlighted as a severe safety risk.

Xu stated that the teen stepped on a rail which provided electric power to the trains, reported CNA.

He had also crossed the tracks during its operational hours.

This endangered both himself and commuters onboard.

The offence of wilfully endangering safety under the the Rapid Transit Systems Act carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

The offence of criminal trespass carries an imprisonment term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.

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Top photo from singapura.legends/Instagram and SMRT.