Twitter User Debunks MRT Door Auntie & Autistic Sister Story
The recent case of the incredibly strong auntie who pried open MRT doors at Little India to get on the train remains fresh in our memories.
But another story soon surfaced on r/Singapore on Reddit, alleging that she was trying to chase her “autistic sister”, warning netizens not to be too quick to judge her intentions.
In a shocking twist, Twitter user @EllieTay2 now claims to be the woman’s daughter and is now calling the account about her “autistic sister” a complete hoax.
Here’s the series of tweets posted on Thursday (29 Aug), we also replicate her statement below.
Here’s her statement in full:
Hi everyone, I am here to make an apology statement about the situation. She is my mother and regarding the story about her chasing her autistic sister is a hoax.
What actually happened is that she and her friend were rushing to get home.
This was at the time where everyone is also getting home from work and the MRT was packed with people. My mother’s friend got in first…my mother didn’t want to be left alone to wait for another train, barge forward and pried open the door which got her stuck.
After causing the train to be delayed for a few minutes, when my mother and her friend arrived at their stop, they were approached by the SMRT staff for questioning.
I was called in to pick up my mother and have talked to the staff. Fortunately they are not asking for any compensation for the door, they only gave a warning to my mother to be more careful as there are people waiting to get home.
I apologise to those who were affected by the delay on behalf of my mother, she felt very selfish due to her insensitive actions and wishes the people to forgive her.
I won’t be giving out more information due to the privacy of my mother.
Do note that her account is also unverified at the moment, but we have reached out to her for more info on the situation.
We recap the case below, and perhaps it’s time to close the chapter on this story before other unverified accounts are published, or other rumours ignited on the matter.
Auntie appears to force open MRT doors
At Little India station, an incident involving an auntie forcing open a door was captured on CCTV and posted on All Singapore Stuff.
The video quickly amassed 600k views and 11.5k shares on Facebook.
Netizens quickly called out the actions of the lady for being too “kanchiong” and not prioritising her own safety and the well-being of fellow passengers.
Auntie was chasing “autistic sister”, claims Reddit account
A day later, a post that was labelled “unverified” by Reddit surfaced and gained traction.
Phong, the writer of the post, claimed that he or she knew the auntie in the viral video.
The OP sought understanding for the auntie’s situation as the “younger sister” she was allegedly pursuing was “autistic” and “had a history of wandering off”.
Phong then called for greater empathy for the auntie’s motivations, ending the post on that note.
Alleged auntie’s daughter calls “autistic sister” story a hoax
This brings us back to the latest update on the case.
Twitter user @EllieTay2, claims to be the woman’s daughter uploaded a tweet on Thursday (29 Aug), completely debunking the story about her “autistic sister” as a complete “hoax”.
According to Ms Tay, her mother didn’t want to get left behind at the station, after her friend boarded the train.
So she pried the door open and ended up getting stuck in between the train doors and the platform.
The train was “delayed for a few minutes” at Little India, and when her mother and friend arrived at their stop, staff members approached them “for questioning”.
Ellie shares that she arrived to “pick up her mother” and they were left off with a warning, without any “compensation” for the door required.
She went on to apologise on behalf of her mother, stating that the auntie allegedly understands her “insensitive actions” and hopes for everyone to “forgive her” — especially commuters who were “affected by the delay”.
In order to protect the privacy of her mother, she says that she won’t be speaking further on the matter.
We’ve reached out to SBS Transit to verify the story
Whichever account turns out to be true, we should be cautious about spreading unverified stories online.
We’ve reached out to SBS Transit to see if they can verify Ms Tay’s story, but we hope that this matter will draw to a close, since an ‘apology’ has been made.
We’re also glad that no real injuries or damages to property occurred, in what could have been a potentially dangerous situation.
Do remember that being kanchiong on the train doesn’t pay, please prioritise your own safety first!
Featured image adapted from All Singapore Stuff on  Facebook and Facebook.
