A 19-year-old teenager dining alone at a Singapore hawker centre was allegedly targeted by an older man who sat opposite him before flicking leftover food at him.
The incident took place at around 7.28pm on Oct 22 at Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre and came to light after the teenager, identified as Junbin, shared a video of the encounter on Instagram.
Speaking to Mothership, Junbin said the man sat down opposite him without saying anything and pushed his tray against his.
After staring at him for about a minute, the man allegedly used his chopsticks to flick pieces of leftover brinjal at him, with some landing on his food.
Junbin said he began recording at that point. In the video, he can be heard asking the man what was wrong and whether he had done anything to offend him.
The man did not answer those questions, instead telling Junbin to stop pointing the camera at him.
He then stood up and moved towards the camera, pointing at it, prompting Junbin to raise his hand in an apparent attempt to block him. The man appeared to move backwards before approaching Junbin again and raising his hand.
The video ended with the man appearing to thrust his hand forward.
After the recording stopped, Junbin said he asked people nearby for help three times, but they either continued watching or shook their heads.
He eventually picked up his food and bag and moved to another table.
“I encourage anyone who encounters situations like this, please try to avoid reacting rashly and try to de-escalate the situation, especially when dealing with the elderly,” he said.
A Shin Min Daily News reporter who visited the hawker centre the following day spoke to a 70-year-old cleaner who said she recognised the man from another nearby hawker centre.
She claimed he often stared at young men and made gestures to get their attention when they ignored him.
Although she had never witnessed him getting into an actual altercation, she said some people had reacted negatively to his stares. Her nephew had also once been stared at by the man and nearly became involved in a physical confrontation with him, she added.
Other hawkers also recognised the man, saying he frequently dined alone at the hawker centre.
