'I hope they'll take pity on me': Man stuck in Oxley Road condo toilet allegedly told to pay for damages after damaging lock

'I hope they'll take pity on me': Man stuck in Oxley Road condo toilet allegedly told to pay for damages after damaging lock
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/QmaoJunYong

[UPDATE April 5] In response to AsiaOne's queries, Oxley Residence Management Office (ORMC) said that QmaoJunYong, a visitor of the condo, had trespassed a residential unit that was under renovation where he accidentally locked himself in the toilet.

They added that by the time help arrived, the owner's son had found the toilet door to be damaged, and that QmaoJunYong had left the unit.

After the incident, ORMC said they approached QmaoJunYong, who explained the situation.

ORMC also clarified that they did not ask for any compensation and that the matter was settled between the unit's owner and QmaoJunYong.

The management office said that the owner of the unit decided against reporting the incident to the police as she believed it was an honest mistake by QmaoJunYong.

However, the owner has proposed a private settlement from QmaoJunYong to compensate the lock that he had damaged.


In a last-ditch effort to escape a stuffy condominium toilet last Sunday (March 26), this man tried breaking the lock while shouting for help.

But after he was freed nearly two hours later, the visitor at Oxley Residence on Oxley Road was allegedly told to pay for damages he had caused to the premises.

In an interview with AsiaOne on Thursday (March 30), the man, who wanted to be known by his social media handle QmaoJunYong, shared that he was at the condo for a balloon sculpting event.

The 32-year-old events planner and content creator said that he entered the toilet at the car park at around 12.30pm.

Describing how the door was "stuck" while lamenting his luck, QmaoJunYong said: "I wasn't scared at first. But after trying to unlock it for 30 minutes, I began to panic.

"The place was so quiet and there was no signal or reception."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@qmaojunyong/video/7214746782801186050[/embed]

In a TikTok video shared on the same day of his ordeal, it showed that the flustered QmaoJunYong had used all his strength to break the lock using a makeshift curtain pole and a balloon pump.

But even after the door handle had come off, the lock remained stubbornly jammed.

"I don't know how long I can last [in here]. My event already started 15 minutes ago," the visibly exhausted man said, adding that he managed to slip a piece of tape with the word "help" out of the toilet.

The four-minute video later showed that QmaoJunYong was freed at 2pm.

Showing how his shirt was drenched in sweat, the man recounted the feeling of desperation while he was alone inside the toilet.

QmaoJunYong: "I don't know that I would be stuck inside. I felt so helpless and I didn't know what to do.

"After praying and shouting for help, someone came to my aid."

While his client at the balloon sculpting event was understanding, QmaoJunYong expressed his bafflement after receiving a phone call from the condo who requested that he pay for the damages to the toilet door.

"I told him that there was a life at stake! I felt that [telling me to pay up] is not right," QmaoJunYong said.

"I don't know how much I need to pay, but I hope they will take pity on me."

AsiaOne has contacted Oxley Residence Management Office for comment.

Bukit Panjang resident no longer dares to lock toilet door 

Last September, another man was stuck in a toilet for two hours after the lock got jammed

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the man referred to as Mr Huang, said the toilet in his HDB flat at Block 270 Bangkit Road in Bukit Panjang had just received an upgrade under the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). 

The 63-year-old then took a shower and, to his horror, was unable to open the door after he was done.

After this terrifying episode, Huang and his wife no longer dare to lock the door when they use the toilet. 

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com
chingshijie@asiaone.com

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