A man who went viral after being found sitting by a highway for nearly nine hours before being persuaded by firefighters to return home has come forward to clarify the situation, urging the public not to make assumptions about the incident.
In a post on his Threads account, @alifhairi, he confirmed that he is the individual seen in the video and assured that he is safe and in good health. He also thanked those who expressed concern and offered prayers for his wellbeing.
“Assalamualaikum and greetings to all. I am the man in the video. Alhamdulillah, everything is fine.
“Things in life have their ups and downs, but when something unexpected like a major ‘flood’ happens, it can be shocking and takes time to settle.
“Please do not make strange assumptions. Thank you to everyone who prayed and cared,” he wrote.
The clarification comes after a video of the man, seen sitting alone and shivering by the roadside, went viral on social media and sparked widespread speculation.
According to reports, Fire and Rescue Department Senior Officer Nor Azam Abd Rahman said the incident was noticed around 9am on Friday when firefighters were returning from another operation.
The team received information from the Operations Control Centre about a man located by the highway and immediately rushed to the scene.
Upon arrival, the man was found near a Yamaha RX-Z motorcycle, drenched after reportedly being caught in heavy rain.
“He had apparently been there since about 1am,” the officer was quoted as saying.
He added that the man initially remained silent and appeared to be shivering due to the cold when approached by firefighters.
However, after about 15 minutes of persuasion, the man eventually agreed to leave and prepared to return home.
The officer also did not rule out the possibility that the individual may have been experiencing emotional distress or personal issues at the time.
Authorities managed to calm the situation without any incident before the man left the area safely.
