When it comes to crime-spotting or crime-catching, we’ve moved far beyond the reactive phase and into the preventative with surveillance.
Surveillance, which can be both good and bad, depending on the side you’re on.
If you’re that FedEx worker who carelessly threw packages into the truck regardless of its content or a fight boils over between a restaurant owner and customer, chances are, you won’t like the fact that you’ve just accidentally become a one-minute internet sensation for the wrong reasons.
Man Spotted Breaking Into the Car in Johor Bahru
On 11 April, a 16-second video was shared by SG Road Vigilante, featuring a man standing in front of a sleek black car and seemingly attempting to make entry with a thin object in his hands.
(As of writing this article, the video has already been taken down, but the story will go on nonetheless.)
Despite the music in the background, the slight thudding of the object against the glass window can be heard as the man repeatedly tries to shove the thin object into the slit.
The person taking the video zooms in closer to take a closer look, and he comments: “If this one my car, I come and hammer him upside down.”
Which shows his blatant disapproval of whatever the man was doing, if it wasn’t indicative enough by the “BEWARE JB PADAN MARKET” caption in red.
The description attached to the video also reads that on 10 April, a man tried “to gain entry into the vehicle by tampering with the driver door with a ruler”.
This video attracted a lot of attention on Facebook, but it wasn’t to rebuke the man or ask for the police to arrest him.
Car Attendant Mistaken for a Criminal
As it turns out, some of the netizens were quick to defend the man in the video, stating that he works at the car wash that was near Padan Market.
Another Facebook user went as far as sharing the post on a separate page called JB TRACER: Johor Bahru, Crime, and Community Service Report, which revealed more details about the happenings in the video.
The commenter wasted no time saying that SG Road Vigilante was “spreading fake news”, and explained that the staff at the car wash just wanted to help the owner because the car had accidentally and automatically locked itself.
The car wash attendant had been attempting entry with another object because the driver accidentally locked his key within the car.
Thus, many people rallied in the comments to defend the accused attendant, telling the original poster not to jump to conclusions and condemn someone without even knowing the full circumstances.
Although the man’s identity as a car wash attendant hasn’t been confirmed, some discerning eyes noted that there was a black cloth on top of the car, and that it was quite impossible for a car break-in to happen in broad daylight, in front of so many people.
Even if we were to assume the worst of the man, using such a thin object as opposed to a hammer or a sharp ceramic piece is stupid, and it’s hardly efficient in breaking the car window.
Plus, such break-ins tend to happen with accomplices, whilst this man just looks like your Average Joe with his printed tee, face uncovered and mask hanging below his chin, and looking quite alone in his task.
In essence, it doesn’t look like a crime scene at all.
Don’t Jump to Conclusions So Quickly
Vigilantism is honourable, just, and all, but it’s important to get your facts right first, rather than accusing an innocent man for simply doing his job.
Instead of being a vigilant and having rugged and hoarse taglines like “I’m Batman”, all you’d be doing is making a fool of yourself and people will start calling you the blind man.
Always remember to fact check and question what you’re seeing before criticising!
Seriously, with all the vehicle-related news coming out of Johor after the borders re-opened, what’s with the roadside thefts (which were also fake) and stolen motorcycle brakes, you’d think Malaysians have a vendetta against Singaporean motiorists.
Featured Image: Facebook (SG Road Vigilante)
