Frying pan crashes onto balcony of Chinatown flat, leaving elderly resident shaken

A Chinatown resident was left shaken after a frying pan landed on her balcony — mere moments after she finished watering her plants. 

The 73-year-old woman surnamed Zheng told Shin Min Daily News the incident happened last Tuesday (June 20) afternoon. 

Zheng, who lives on the fourth floor at Block 4 Sago Lane, said she had just stepped into the toilet when she heard a loud bang coming from her balcony. 

"I got a shock when I heard the loud noise. After taking a shower, I went to the balcony and saw a frying pan lying on the ground," she recounted.

She noted that the frying pan was heavy, and said that it probably fell from a rather high storey, judging from the loud noise it made when it fell. 

A reporter from Shin Min observed that there are 21 floors in Zheng's block. Only the units on the fourth floor have a balcony.

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The orange frying pan was also dented from the impact.

"If I had been watering my flowers then, the frying pan could have killed me. I was so scared, I didn't dared to water my plants in the past few days," she said. 

As a precautionary measure, Zheng purchased a 10-metre-long hose so she can water her plants from a distance. She also said she plans to minimise the time spent on her balcony, and may even wear a helmet. 

Neighbours affected by killer litter too 

Speaking to the Chinese daily, the woman's neighbours shared that they've also experienced similar scares. 

One of her neighbours, Chen, said that someone once threw a mop onto her balcony. 

"The pole pierced through the tarpaulin of my balcony, and only the mop head remained on top. The impact was quite big, it might have injured someone," said the 39-year-old. 

A third resident, who declined to be named, said that a 1.5m-long metal sheet once pierced through the metal awning of her balcony. 

"Thankfully it got stuck and didn't fall off, otherwise it would have killed someone," said the resident. 

To protect themselves from killer litter, the resident said she chose to install a metal roof over her balcony. 

"Now the roof is thicker, so I don't think any [killer litter] can penetrate it." 

Zheng, however, said she has thought about it but hesitated because of how expensive it is. 

Under the Environmental Public Health Act 1987, any individual who commits a littering offence is liable on conviction to a court fine of up to $2,000 for a first conviction, $4,000 for a second conviction and $10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions. 

READ ALSO: 'I would have been killed': Passer-by claims man threw bricks from 8th floor of HDB block

claudiatan@asiaone.com