‘We felt creeped out and uncomfortable’: Women harassed by 2 men near Arab Street, stranger intervenes
Two women were allegedly followed and harassed by two men near Arab Street for an hour, until a stranger stepped in to help.
On May 2, Ms Janine, 28, who goes by @sjacxx_ on TikTok, shared about the incident online.
Speaking to Stomp, Ms Janine and her friend were seated at their usual spot in front of a teh tarik shop located near Sultan Mosque on May 1, between 10pm and 11pm.
Despite the area being crowded, Ms Janine noticed two men approaching and staring at them.
One man, described as having a normal build and wearing long pants, stood in front of the pair and stared in their direction. The second man, of a smaller build and wearing shorts, joined him with two cups of drinks from the shop. They both then sat beside the women.
According to Ms Janine, the man in long pants repeatedly leaned forward to stare at her for about five seconds at a time, which made her feel “creeped out and uncomfortable.” When she eventually asked him “Why?”, he stared back and mouthed unintelligible words.
Ms Janine claimed this behavior persisted for nearly an hour before they decided to leave.
While waiting for their Grab driver, the two men allegedly stood in front of a 7-Eleven outlet nearby and began catcalling them.
The men crossed the road to approach them, asking where they were going and demanding their phone numbers — requests the women ignored.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Ms Janine and her friend crossed back to the other side of the road. However, the men continued to catcall and used hand gestures to “sign” phone numbers while pointing at them, suggesting that it is likely the men’s phone number.
‘Mr Nice Guy’ to the rescue
Feeling unsafe, Ms Janine approached a male bystander who owned a shop in the area.
While he offered to confront the harassers, Ms Janine and her friend declined, as they did not want to start a fight. Instead, she asked if he could stand with them until their ride arrived.
The man, whom Ms Janine dubbed “Mr Nice Guy,” immediately agreed. During their conversation, Ms Janine revealed she lives in Punggol while her friend lives in Sembawang.
When her friend realised they had indicated the wrong pickup location for their private hire ride, the man offered to walk them to the correct location.
Ms Janine noted that the two men finally left once the stranger stepped in, so he did not have to walk them all the way. She expressed deep gratitude to the man for making them feel safe in a moment of distress.
Although she was shocked by the incident, she said that both her and her friend are doing fine now.
Ms Janine, who has lived in Singapore for eight years and works as a teacher, said this was the first time she had experienced such an incident. She admitted that because it was her first time, it did not occur to them to shout for attention or call the police in the moment.
She offered parting advice to others in similar situations: “I am aware now that once you are in such a situation, do not be silent about it. Don’t be scared to create a commotion; it’s your safety. Don’t take it for granted and ask for help, or even call the police.”
Ms Janine ‘stunned’ by comments blaming her and friend
The TikTok post has garnered more than 139,000 views, 2,600 likes and 90 comments.
Many netizens expressed sympathy to both of them, wishing them to stay safe.
“I’m so sorry the both of you have to experience this,” one TikTok user commented, “That’s so wild and disrespectful.”
Another added: “Sadly, Singapore has not been as safe as it used to be, so sorry you had to go through that. Glad you both were safe.”
However, Ms Janine said she was “stunned” by comments blaming them for the incident, with some questioning their choice of clothing or why they were out late.
In response to critics asking why they didn’t call the police immediately, she replied: “When you’re in the same situation, you wouldn’t act as fast as you think now.”
She added that if a similar incident happened in the future, she would call the police.
A user named @saintpablooo, who claimed to be the man who helped the pair in the video and the owner of The Cartel’s Vintage Store at Haji Lane, commented in their defence.
He called the dismissive comments “disturbing” and urged others to show empathy.
“Step outside your bubble for a moment and ask yourself this: what if it were your daughter, sister or someone you care about in that situation? Would you still think the same way?” he wrote.
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