SINGAPORE: A teenager who trespassed onto the train tracks between Simei MRT station and Tanah Merah MRT station earlier this year had climbed up scaffolding structures to access the prohibited area.
The teen, who cannot be named as his identity is protected under the Children and Young Persons Act, loitered at the train tracks for up to 10 minutes and later uploaded a video of a passing train on social media.
The youth, now aged 17, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Nov 25) to one count under the Rapid Transit Systems Act of wilfully endangering safety, and one count of trespass.
Another count of trespass and one count of obstructing justice will be taken into account for sentencing. The latter charge detailed how the youth had deleted his Instagram account and instructed his friends to lie on Instagram that his video was likely generated by artificial intelligence.
Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh adjourned the case after calling for probation and reformative training suitability reports for the teen.
TRESPASSED ONTO TRAIN TRACKS WHILE IT WAS OPERATIONAL
In January this year, the youth, then aged 16, noticed two scaffolding structures leading to the train tracks along Upper Changi Road. He then devised a plan to explore the tracks.
On Mar 27, 2025, at about 8pm after his school ended, he decided to carry out his plan. He waited for workers to leave the scaffolding area before wearing his shirt around his face to hide his identity.
He went through a gap in a fence around the area and moved towards the structure while remaining low to avoid detection, checking for closed-circuit television cameras along the way.
At the scaffolding gate, the teen lay down and squeezed through the gap between the gate and the ground before climbing the staircase. He ducked down when he saw people along the footpath. As a train passed, he ran up the stairs, using the noise from the train to mask the sound of his footsteps.
He reached the tracks along the East-West Line MRT at about 8.18pm, and walked along them.
“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,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Xu Sijia. He then crossed the track while still recording, and continued to take photos and another video.
He remained there for about five to 10 minutes, seeing four to six trains pass before leaving the prohibited area through the same scaffolding.
