2021 Tanjong Pagar car crash

2021 Tanjong Pagar car crash
Date13 February 2021
Time5:41 am (SGT)
Location
  • 37 Tanjong Pagar Road, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore
  • 1°16′45″N 103°50′38″E / 1.2791°N 103.8440°E / 1.2791; 103.8440
TypeHigh-speed vehicle collision and fire
CauseSpeeding and drink-driving
ParticipantsJonathan Long Junwei (driver), Elvin Tan Yong Hao, Eugene Yap Zheng Min, Gary Wong Hong Chieh, Wilson Teo Qi Xiang (passengers) and Raybe Oh Siew Huey (observer)
Deaths5
Injuries1 (critical)

The 2021 Tanjong Pagar car crash was a fatal single-vehicle traffic incident that occurred on 13 February 2021, along Tanjong Pagar Road in Singapore.[1] A white BMW M4 Coupe,[2] carrying five occupants, crashed into a vacant shophouse at high speed and subsequently caught fire.[3] All five occupants were killed; a sixth individual sustained life-threatening burns while attempting to rescue the occupants from the fire.[4] The incident took place during the Chinese New Year holidays and prompted a national conversation regarding road safety, street racing and drink-driving penalties in Singapore.[5]

Background

At the time of the crash, the victims were current or former financial advisers of Aviva, who had gathered for a celebration on the second day of the Chinese New Year.[6] Prior to the crash, several members of the group took turns driving a newly purchased BMW M4 Coupe around a 1.5-kilometer perimeter in the Tanjong Pagar area to test its performance.[2]

Incident

At approximately 5:40 am, Jonathan Long Junwei, 29, began a final circuit with four passengers: Eugene Yap Zheng Min, 29; Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28; Wilson Teo Qi Xiang, 26; and Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29.[6] The car reached speeds between 148 km/h (92 mph) and 182 km/h (113 mph) in a zone with a 50 km/h (31 mph) limit. Long lost control of the vehicle, which skidded and rear-ended a pillar of a shophouse at 37 Tanjong Pagar Road.[4]

The impact caused the fuel tank to rupture, leading to a massive fire approximately 15 seconds later. Raybe Oh Siew Huey, 26, the driver's fiancée, ran towards the burning wreckage and attempted to pull the occupants out, sustaining burns to 80 percent of her body. Emergency services arrived at 5:46 am and extinguished the fire by 6:08 am. All five occupants were pronounced dead at the scene from severe burns and traumatic injuries.[7]

Infrastructure and aftermath

Following the accident, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) assessed 37 Tanjong Pagar Road and found the shophouse's structural integrity not to be compromised despite "surface scratches" on the columns.[8] The Land Transport Authority (LTA) implemented several safety enhancements along the road, including road dividers, signalised pedestrian crossings at the intersection of Tras Link, and increased police patrols to deter speeding in the Central Business District.[9] In 2025, the LTA announced plans to narrow and repurpose Tanjong Pagar Road to enhance pedestrian and cyclist safety. The project was to convert the thoroughfare into a single-lane, two-way street while removing roadside parking to accommodate wider footpaths and new cycling paths. To further reduce vehicle speeds, the redevelopment includes the installation of center dividers and road humps.[10]

Safety concerns and speeding history

Following the 2021 collision, public attention shifted towards the long-standing issue of illegal speeding and noise pollution in the Tanjong Pagar area. Residents of the area, particularly those living in nearby public housing estate The Pinnacle@Duxton, reported that the stretch of road had effectively served as a "racing circuit" for high-performance vehicles for several years prior to the accident. Complaints were frequently lodged with local Member of Parliament (MP) Indranee Rajah, as well as the local town council, regarding engine revving and high-speed maneuvers occurring in the early morning hours, typically between 2:00 am and 5:00 am. Local business owners and residents noted that the straight layout of the road and its proximity to nightlife venues made it a frequent site for "test drives" and unauthorised street racing.[11]

Although the Singapore Police Force (SPF) had conducted periodic enforcement operations in the area, community members described them as temporary deterrents that failed to address the root of the problem.[9] Critics and urban planners pointed to the wide, straight lanes of Tanjong Pagar Road as an infrastructure design that inadvertently encouraged reckless driving. This led to immediate calls for the installation of fixed speed cameras and permanent traffic-calming features to replace the reliance on sporadic police patrols.[11]

In August 2022, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda ruled the deaths as a "traffic-related misadventure." The inquiry revealed that Long had a blood alcohol level of 86 mg per 100 ml, exceeding the legal limit.[12] Alongside Long, every passenger in the car prior to the crash was also drunk.[13] Following the ruling, the families of passengers Yap, Teo, and Wong filed civil claims seeking a combined S$1.7 million from Long's estate. Long's mother, acting as the estate administrator, contested the claims, arguing that the passengers were negligent by choosing to enter the vehicle despite knowing the driver had consumed alcohol.[14][15]

In April 2023, Phoo Yi Lin, a 26-year-old Malaysian woman who had driven the BMW at high speed earlier that morning, was fined S$5,000 and disqualified from driving for three years.[16] She pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving.[17] The court ruled that, while she was not the driver during the crash, her actions contributed to the dangerous environment that morning.[16]

Following the incident, Raybe Oh underwent over 40 surgical procedures and intensive physical therapy.[18] In 2022, Oh appeared in a CNA interview describing her recovery and future plans, stating that she was in the beauty business.[19] In February 2026, she announced her return to the public stage as a getai singer,[20] largely to pay off her school fees and to reduce the burden on her father.[21] On 27 February 2026, she performed a guest set at a show organised by the Zhenghua Community Club in Bukit Panjang, which was attended by her mother and medical staff from the Singapore General Hospital burn unit.[22] Oh continues to serve as a mentor for other burn survivors and remains in close contact with the parents of her late fiancé, stating they treat her as their own daughter.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Fabian Koh; David Sun (13 February 2021). "5 killed in Tanjong Pagar crash: 29-year-old driver believed to have sped before crashing into shophouse". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Lui, Karen (15 February 2021). "Tanjong Pagar crash: Driver was allegedly giving friends joyride in recently-bought BMW coupe". mothership.sg. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Ng Wei Kai; David Sun (13 February 2021). "5 killed in Tanjong Pagar car crash: What happened". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 Shaffiq Alkhatib; Samuel Devaraj (24 August 2022). "Tanjong Pagar crash: Deaths of 5 men in burning car ruled as traffic-related misadventure". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Tham, Davina (24 August 2022). "Tanjong Pagar car crash: Coroner rules accident that killed 5 people was a traffic misadventure". CNA. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 Kok Yufeng; Ng Wei Kai; Cheow Sue-Ann (13 February 2021). "Tanjong Pagar car crash: Driver of BMW and passengers killed identified". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Woman, 32, who sustained 80% burns saving fiance in 2021 Tanjong Pagar crash, returns to getai stage". Mothership.sg. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Ong, Justin (14 February 2021). "Tanjong Pagar car crash: Conservation shophouse sustained only 'surface scratches', says BCA". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Sun, David (10 September 2021). "Tanjong Pagar Road to get more road dividers, safety features after fatal CNY accident". AsiaOne. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Friendlier and Safer Walk Cycle Ride Journeys". Ministry of Home Affairs. 5 March 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 Chai, Amanda (14 February 2021). "Tanjong Pagar car crash brings area's speeding problem to the fore". CNA. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Shaffiq Alkhatib; David Sun (9 June 2022). "Driver busted alcohol limit, was speeding at 148kmh before Tanjong Pagar crash: Coroner's inquiry". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Tang, Louisa (9 June 2022). "Tanjong Pagar car crash: Driver and 4 passengers who died were drunk, sped at 3 times the limit". CNA. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  14. ↑ Seng, Sabrina (6 December 2022). "Tanjong Pagar Crash: Driver's Mother Files Defence, Says Victims' Deaths Caused By Individual Negligence". Must Share News. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Lim, Joyce (6 December 2022). "Tanjong Pagar crash: Mother of dead driver fighting lawsuits filed against her son's estate". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  16. 1 2 Zalizan, Taufiq (3 April 2023). "Woman linked to fatal Tanjong Pagar crash gets S$5,000 fine, 3-year ban for dangerous driving". CNA. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Alkhatib, Shaffiq (16 March 2023). "Woman linked to fatal Tanjong Pagar crash charged with dangerous driving, expected to plead guilty". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Lok, Cherie (8 June 2022). "Tanjong Pagar car crash: Woman who suffered serious burns wants second shot at life". CNA. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Kow, Zi Shan (8 June 2022). "Raybe Oh provides recovery update, starts beauty business after Tanjong Pagar accident". mothership.sg. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Tan, Constance (23 February 2026). "Woman, 32, who sustained 80% burns on body saving fiance from burning car in 2021 Tanjong Pagar car crash, returns to getai stage". mothership.sg. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "五年前为爱冲火海严重烧伤 空姐歌手胡秀惠复出歌台" [Five years ago, Hu Xiuhui (Raybe Oh), a flight attendant singer, returned to the stage after suffering severe burns for love]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese (Singapore)). 23 February 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "2021 Tanjong Pagar crash: Raybe Oh returns to getai; father of late fiance shows support". AsiaOne. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  23. ↑ Tan, Constance (28 February 2026). "Raybe Oh, 32, makes getai comeback to packed audience". Mothership.sg. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
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