Man who sat on ledge of building in Commonwealth rescued & apprehended under Mental Health Act

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Rescuers seen rappelling down industrial building in Commonwealth to rescue man

A 33-year-old man seen sitting on a ledge of a building in Commonwealth on Thursday (20 Aug) night has been apprehended under the Mental Health Act.

Footage of the incident posted on Threads showed rescuers rappelling down the side of the building to rescue him.

Source: @afyz.suave on Threads

Rescuers rappel down Commonwealth building, set up safety life air pack

The clip, which was posted on Friday (21 Aug), was recorded by the original poster (OP) as he was on his way home.

It depicted at least three rescuers rappelling from the rooftop of a building in Commonwealth to the floor below.

Source: @afyz.suave on Threads

More of them were seen at an intermediate floor of the building.

Source: @afyz.suave on Threads

A safety life air pack had also been set up at the foot of the building.

Source: @afyz.suave on Threads

Man on ledge of Commonwealth building assessed to likely pose danger to himself

In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it received a call for assistance at about 8pm on 20 Aug.

When officers arrived, a 33-year-old man was spotted sitting on the ledge of an outdoor garden in Block 1 Commonwealth Lane — the address of an industrial building.

Source: Google Maps

It was assessed that the man might pose a danger to himself, so officers from SPF’s Crisis Negotiation Unit and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the incident.

Man sent to NUH after being rescued

SCDF, which was alerted at about 8.55pm, told MS News that it deployed two safety life air packs at the location as a precautionary measure.

Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) rescuers also rappelled down from the unit above after nets were also deployed.

The man was brought in to safety at about 10.40pm — almost three hours after he was spotted — and conveyed to the National University Hospital in a conscious state.

He was subsequently apprehended under Section 7(1) of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008, which states that the police can apprehend anyone believed to be a danger to themselves or others.

Helplines available

In July, the Samaritans of Singapore said there were a total of 441 suicide deaths in 2024, with a 50% increase among adults aged from 30 to 39. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among this age group.

65.8% of the deceased individuals were male.

Here are some helplines available for those struggling with mental health issues: