‘Neighbour from Hell’: Influencer’s distressing ordeal with troublesome residents in Sengkang HDB flat

SINGAPORE: Upon moving into her HDB flat in Sengkang on 28 May this year, Singaporean woman Nicole Wong never expected to encounter a troublesome neighbour, which led her into a distressing situation, prompting her to call the police multiple times and seek assistance from her Member of Parliament (MP).

Nicole Wong, a local social media influencer, recently shared her ordeal with the troublesome neighbour on her Instagram stories.

Her story also gained coverage from local media outlets Shin Min Daily and STOMP.

According to Nicole, an elderly couple residing downstairs accused her of being the cause of disturbances. They allegedly frequently banged on their ceiling, complaining about strange noises, voices, and peculiar smells coming from Nicole’s flat.

They even accused Nicole of engaging in loud activities at 4 am, which she vehemently denied and proved with CCTV footage.

someone allegedly throwing soil at Nicole’s doorstep

When interviewed by Shin Min Daily, Nicole shared that when she first moved in, she extended friendliness by offering a cake to nearby neighbors, including the elderly couple downstairs.

“However, things took a turn when someone started throwing soil at my doorstep, and the couple downstairs occasionally engaged in loud arguments, constantly knocking on the ceiling, creating considerable noise, and then blaming me for causing disturbances.”

These confrontations raised concerns for Nicole’s safety and that of her two young daughters, aged 4 and 6.

Elderly woman confronted the previous residents with a chopper

Later, Nicole learned that the elderly couple also had issues with the previous occupants of her flat, seemingly related to noise problems.

On one occasion, the couple even confronted the previous residents with a chopper.

In a CCTV footage from June 28 of the previous year, shared through Singapore media outlet Stomp, an elderly woman can be seen waving a chopper while scolding the former homeowner, as the owner warned the elderly woman of contacting the police.

As the altercation escalated, the elderly woman even used the chopper to knock on the door gate once, further provoking tension.

Called the police several times

Feeling utterly helpless, Nicole resorted to calling the police several times in an attempt to resolve the ongoing issues and also wrote an email to the Member of Parliament for Sengkang, Jamus Lim.

Growing increasingly desperate and anxious about her family’s safety, Nicole turned to the public for support, sharing her story as an influencer.

However, despite her persistent efforts to mediate and communicate with the troublesome neighbors, the banging and disturbances continued unabated.

During one morning, the elderly couple visited her again, accusing her of making noise in the early hours.

Nicole vehemently refuted the claims, stating that her entire family was sound asleep during that time and couldn’t possibly have caused any disturbances.

The elderly reportedly refused to undergo a mental health assessment

Nicole expressed her sincere hope that the couple’s children or relevant authorities could intervene and help mediate the situation for the sake of the elderly couple’s well-being.

In response, the Sengkang MP Jamus Lim acknowledged the complexity of the situation and had already been in contact with the elderly couple and their son.

However, despite the concerns raised, they steadfastly refused to undergo a mental health assessment.

Neighbour downstairs refutes soil throwing, claims waving chopper in last year incident for Intimidation

82-year-old retired resident, Lim Yu Zhu, who lives downstairs, strongly denied throwing soil at Nicole’s doorstep, saying she had never engaged in such behavior.

She insisted that Nicole was the one causing the disturbances.

Lim explained to Shin Min Daily News that constant footsteps and falling objects from the upstairs neighbor disrupted their rest, leading them to use a bamboo pole to knock on the ceiling in hopes of some peace and quiet.

She revealed that the noise from the upstairs neighbor had caused her to develop hypertension, requiring daily medication and sleeping pills for rest.

Addressing the incident with the chopper from the previous year, Lim clarified that she had only intended to scare the former occupant and had no intention of harming anyone.

She admitted to threatening to jump off the building when the police arrived, fearing potential consequences.

She mentioned that she had threatened to jump off the building when the police arrived, fearing they might take her away.

The Singapore police confirmed receiving reports concerning the kitchen knife incident.