‘Can help me’: Teen, 17, flees to couple for help after man chases her and accuses her of following him home
A 17-year-old girl’s walk home took a scary turn when a man allegedly accused her of stalking him, chased after her and threatened to hit her.
In a post shared on Instagram page @sgfollowsall on July 23, two days after the incident, the girl said she was walking home “peacefully” when she realised an “uncle” was shouting from behind.
She initially did not realise the man was shouting at her because she was listening to music on her AirPods, which was at full volume.
“Then I looked behind and realised he was talking to me, so I stopped the music,” she explained.
According to the girl, the man first asked her in Chinese whether she was working in Singapore, which she felt was a strange thing to ask.
She quickened her pace. He then allegedly shouted: “Why you following me home?”
“You following me home, right? Every day I see you — always following me home, from 8pm to 11pm,” he added.
The girl said it was the first time she had ever seen the man, and her first thoughts to his accusations were, “why would a 17-year-old girl with a pink backpack be following an old man home?”
Believing something was not right, she started walking faster, but to her horror, he ran, caught up with her, pushed her and said: “Why you ignoring me?”
She then ran towards a couple seated under a block of flats who were looking in her direction when the man shouted at her.
“Can help me?” she pleaded. The couple told her to sit with them.
The man then took the lift up the block. According to the girl, the couple tried to calm her down, apparently telling her they were already familiar with the man’s behaviour.
However, a few minutes later, the man returned. The girl claimed he started taking photographs of her and said he was going to report her to the police.
She added that the man allegedly threatened to hit her if he saw her following him home again.
The man who was part of the couple reportedly told the stranger that the girl was a friend of his sister and that they were heading home together.
The couple eventually escorted the girl home. She claimed the man followed them for about a minute before disappearing.
The post was geotagged at Block 701 Clementi West Street 2.
Netizens urge girl to make police report
Many netizens were horrified by the girl’s account, with multiple comments calling for her to report the matter to the police.
“Alamaaakkkk... so scary laaa,” said one Instagram user.
“For your safety, please report to the police,” another commented.
Some commended her “for taking the right steps to protect herself”, while others advised her to be more aware of her surroundings while walking alone.
“Young lady, if you are looking at this, remember, situational awareness is key,” wrote a netizen. “I’d suggest not listening to music while you’re walking and look around at times to make sure no one’s following you.”
Another said: “Stalker alert! He... might do something funny to you. Please don’t listen to music and just run back home.”
One even suggested applying for a Personal Protection Order.
“Get a PPO so that he would be arrested quickly should he ever come close to you or try to interact with you.”
Several commenters also praised the couple who came to the teenager’s aid.
“Surely the couple (is) heroic! Respect,” said a netizen. “Scaryyy leh. I’m glad the couple was there to help you! Please stay safe, OP!!” another said.
Some netizens were also worried that the man would harm those in the area, while others speculated about his mental state.
“Get someone to fetch you from the bus stop,” added another concerned netizen.
Stomp has reached out to the police for comment.
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