On 19 October 2020, a man’s body was pulled out from the Marina Reservoir near the Promontory by divers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics.
The deceased was found to be 26 year-old Mr Jacob Tjon.
According to Mr Jacob Tjon’s mother, Madam Ong, the cause of her son’s death was drowning. Investigations are still ongoing.
A Student and Entrepreneur
Mr Jacob Tjon was a final year student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He was studying Chemistry and Biological Chemistry.
He was also one of the finalists for this year’s Mr World Singapore, slated to take place in December.
Aside from being a student, Mr Jacob Tjon was also an entrepreneur. He was the CEO of creative animation studio, SocialArchh.
The studio specializes in curating and repacking content into engaging animated explainer videos.
A Filial Son and Caring Elder Brother
When asked to share some memories of her son, Madam Ong mentioned that Mr Jacob Tjon was a filial son who always wanted the best for his family.
Madam Ong and her son shared a close relationship, where the pair would always get together and talk.
As the elder brother in the family, Mr Jacob Tjon looked after his two younger sisters, aged 23 and 24.
His sisters shared that their brother was a caring person, who would often pop into their room to ask how their day went.
He would also share with his sisters what he had learnt whenever he finished a book.
Following the shocking news of his passing, Mr Jacob Tjon’s friends and associates also paid tributes to him.
Mr Jacob Tjon’s teacher, Ms Chua Lay Yen, shared that he was a positive person who studied hard.
The teacher recalled that Mr Jacob Tjon tried to stay alert during lessons by sniffing peppermint essential oils. He also shared with Ms Chua that he didn’t want to disappoint his parents in his studies.
His friend, Ms Dora Yeo, shared that Mr Jacob Tjon was a sweet and thoughtful person.
When she was having a hard time, Mr Jacob Tjon would stay up and talk to her to make sure she was fine before going to sleep.
An Outstanding Finalist
Beam Search, the producer of Mr World Singapore pageant, also paid tribute to Mr Jacob Tjon on their Facebook page.
A 34YO “old-virgin” S’porean was desperately looking for a boyfriend and surprisingly, she really found one online. But the intentions of the man will make you cry. Prepare tissue paper to watch this video based on real events:
Here’s the post’s content:
Goodbye our comrade. Today was supposed to be the day of your photoshoot, which you had worked so hard at the gym for. Last Sunday you were even enthusiastically asking for tips on going keto. We miss you and hope you are well and at peace. The Class of 2020 will do you proud!
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The company also produced a tribute video for the finalist:
Several audition clips and shots of Mr Jacob Tjon undergoing training were seen in the video.
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When asked the reason for joining the male pageant, Mr Jacob Tjon mentioned that he wanted to know more people. He also wanted to tap on this opportunity to transform himself and be proud of the person he is.
He also said, “I really love music, I like to DJ and eventually want to create my own tracks. I also really like the ocean, and if I combine them together, my dream is to play music on a cruise for the people I love.”
Towards the end of the video, the organiser shared that Mr Jacob Tjon was an outstanding finalist and stood a real good chance of winning.
It was also mentioned that he constantly had on a disarming smile that brightened the days of the management team as well as other finalists.
The orgainsers also paid their condolences to his family in the video.
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