Passenger filmed prying open MRT train doors: Man charged for being public nuisance

SINGAPORE — A man said to be the person caught on video prising open the doors of a moving MRT train has been charged with two counts of being a public nuisance and one count of assault.

Vanessa Wang Zi Qi, 47, who appeared in a district court on Dec 7, has been ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical examination.

Court documents identified Wang as a male, though videos show a person dressed in feminine clothes.

On Nov 27, Wang allegedly caused annoyance to the commuters of an MRT train by pulling open its doors at Braddell station.

He is accused of committing a similar offence two days later, when he allegedly annoyed MRT commuters by shouting and pulling open the doors of a train at Ang Mo Kio station.

He is also said to have kicked a man's leg at the station that day.

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In videos circulating online, a passenger can be seen wrestling with the sliding doors of a moving train on the North-South Line. Other commuters are heard yelling at the person to stop.

According to an eyewitness, one door budged, briefly opening a crack before the other commuters stopped the passenger.

In an earlier statement to The Straits Times, SMRT president Lam Sheau Kai said that SMRT staff were alerted to the incident at around 1pm on Nov 29.

Lam added that the passenger was uncooperative and turned aggressive when the staff entered the train to investigate.

Online pictures after the incident show the passenger curled up in a foetal position on the platform of Ang Mo Kio station, surrounded by TransCom officers and station staff.

Wang's case has been adjourned to Dec 21.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.