Singapore charges cyclist who jumped onto car bonnet in traffic row with harassment

Nicolette Tan Shi-en, 32, is accused of using threatening behaviour towards Elaine Michele Ow along East Coast Road on June 2. Tan is said to have stopped her bicycle in front of Ow’s car, before aggressively confronting Ow and opening the door of her car between 3pm and 3.30pm.

Tan, a Singaporean, was originally charged with committing a rash act to endanger the personal safety of others by lying on the bonnet of a moving vehicle. She was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal over this charge.

Apart from the harassment charge that was handed out on Thursday, Tan also faces one charge of blocking a car with her body in the same incident, obstructing the car and other vehicles behind it.

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Video footage from a car’s dashcam – presumably Ow’s – showed Tan dressed in a yellow top, blue helmet and blinds standing in front of the car.

The video, which made the rounds on social media in June, captured Tan jumping onto the bonnet of the car as it drove along East Coast Road, making a left turn into the drop-off point of i12 Katong.

Tan can also seen banging on the windscreen of the car with her fist, while holding onto her mobile phone.

Videos taken from another angle, showing Tan jumping onto the bonnet of a grey car as the vehicle takes off, were also circulated online.

Tan’s case is fixed for a pre-trial conference on October 6.

Ow, 49, whose case also returned to court for a further mention on Thursday, faces one charge of endangering the personal safety of Tan through a rash act by driving her car forward while Tan was lying on the bonnet.

Her case has also been fixed for a pre-trial conference on October 6.

If convicted of rashly endangering the personal safety of others, Ow can be jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to S$2,500 (US$1,831).

If convicted of using threatening behaviour, Tan may be jailed up to six months and/or fined a maximum of S$5,000.

If convicted of obstructing the car with her body, Tan may be fined up to S$1,000.