STOMPer James and his friend Philip rescued a drowning man from Bedok Reservoir yesterday morning (Jan 18). The man, a Singaporean, was later arrested for attempted suicide.

James elaborates:

"My friend Philip and I jog regularly every Wednesday and Friday at 5am. We live at Waterfront Waves - a condo near Bedok Reservoir.

"We met at playground yesterday morning (Jan 18) to warm up for our 5am run. Philip asked me to decide the route (our usual route is to go in the direction of Sheng Siong) and I told him we should try Bedok Reservoir.

"When we had almost run to the other end (near the Forest Adventure centre) , I wanted to turn back as I was very tired, but I wanted to push myself further, so I decided not to signal Philip to turn back and continued on.

"While running, we suddenly saw a little head and hands struggling on the reservoir's horizon. Initially I thought, Wow... so early got people come to Bedok Reservoir to swim??

"But on second glance, we found something amiss after hearing "help" from that man. I asked Philip to double check and confirm that the guy is struggling. We quickly ran to the shore and shouted to the guy in Chinese (he looked like China guy ).

"With no one around at Bedok Reservoir, Philip decided to jump in to save the guy while I quickly called the police.

"Philip saved the guy from the water and that guy was basically breathless and pale. He could not talk and probably also vomited at least one pail of reservoir water out from his stomach.

"We let him rest and the police, PUB officials and SCDF arrived 15 minutes later. Statements were taken from us and the guy.

"The police were trying to ascertain whether that guy was trying to commit suicide (it is an chargeable offence to commit suicide ), and he was being questioned a lot.

" That guy had lost the wallet and his slippers inside the reservoir and had no ID. He most probably he will need to be escorted back to the police post for further investigation.

"We had to jog back to our home after this incident, tired and wet."

A spokesperson from the police said:

"Police received a call on January 18 at about 5.20am, requesting for assistance at Bedok Reservoir Park.

"When police arrived, a 42-year-old Singaporean man was arrested for attempted suicide.

"Police investigations are ongoing."

If you or someone you know needs help, please call these hotlines:
Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 (24-hour line)
Youth Line: 6336-3434 (Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am-6pm)
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports’ (MCYS) ComCare Call (1800- 222 0000)