S'pore boy, 3, drowns in condo pool, nanny claims to have watched him the entire time, CCTV contradicts claim

A three-year-old boy was riding a kick scooter on Mar. 5, 2025, when he fell into a condominium pool after losing control of his device.

According to The Straits Times (ST), his nanny jumped in to save him even though she could not swim, and paramedics tried to resuscitate him, but the boy died in the hospital on the same day.

Reporting on the coroner's inquiry, CNA said the nanny and the child had a very good relationship, with the boy calling her "nai nai", or grandmother.

According to ST, the nanny had taken her to the condo playground so he could ride his kick scooter. His father had told her to always follow him.

There was a 46-second gap between the boy riding his kick scooter away and when she stood up to look for him.

Deflection

According to CNA, the coroner noted that the nanny was "not forthcoming" in her responses during the inquiry.

Instead, the coroner noted that she adopted an approach of deflection.

According to CNA, she initially claimed that she had turned to place the water bottle on the bench, which was when she claimed she lost sight of him, but no such action was shown on CCTV.

She also claimed that she was the one who noticed the boy in the pool, CNA reported, but this was refuted by police investigations that revealed a female passerby who spotted the boy in the water, and a male passerby who alerted the nanny.

This was supported by CCTV footage as well. The nanny eventually acknowledged that her attention had not been on the boy the entire time, reported CNA.

According to ST, coroner Brenda Chua ruled that there was no foul play, adding that the boy had died by accidental drowning.

According to CNA, Chua also urged close supervision of young children playing around swimming pools, to prevent such incidents.

ST reported that it was not mentioned in court if any action would be taken against the nanny.