When the Deliveryman Never Left the Hook
Every morning – well, every single morning until September 21 – Wim, a 55‑year‑old newspaper courier, would pop out of his van at 9 a.m. to drop Chinese papers into the shop on Aljunied Avenue. It was a routine so predictable it felt like watching a sunrise.
The Van Stuck in the Middle of the Day
On that particular Wednesday, something went horribly wrong. At roughly 3:20 p.m., the Shin Min Daily News reported that Wim was found motionless in the driver’s seat of his van, parked in a lot at Blk 119 Aljunied Ave 2. According to witnesses, the van had been there for about six hours – a lonely, over‑worked time for a vehicle to stay still.
Eyewitnesses Back the Story
- Wu, the owner of a furniture shop next to the parking spot, recalled seeing the van at about 9 a.m. that same day, a common sight since delivery men were as familiar with the premises as coffee at a cafe.
- “In the last couple of years, I’d see Wim hop out after his morning run, usually by 10 a.m.,” Wu said. “That morning, I just couldn’t spot him again.”
- By 3 p.m., the van still sat there – just Wims’s un‑wanted evidence. Wu immediately dialed 4‑2‑4 and told the police that something was off.
- Wim’s friendly neighbor, Zhang, who runs a sundry shop nearby, didn’t wait for any police siren either. He rode in on a scooter, visited the van after hearing that it had met its longtime parking spot, and found out an apocalypse had apparently played out.
When the Van Turns Into a Venice With No Lifeboat
“I bumped on the window, nothing,” Zhang said as he knocked inside. The van’s engine and AC were still humming – a chilling simile for a vehicle fully booted up but with a driver who’s definitely in another story.
Onlookers shouted because the van’s door wasn’t locked: the driver wouldn’t inhale the air. “I shouted a few times and nothing happened,” Zhang recounted, hoping his voice could scream louder than the silence around him.
A Wife’s Earthshattering Moment
- Within moments, a woman arrived – supposedly Wim’s wife. Her mess of crying walls shook the entire park.
- She stared at her husband’s body in disbelief, at 10 minutes of cruel, heart‑wrung sorrow, she whispered, “Why did you just go away like that?”
- The scene flashed and he, his support “Mom” went in front of the woman, giving her a hug like a lifeline, as a alternative to 4‑2‑4 for her comfort.
The Final Scene
When reporters reported the worst drama at about 6:30 p.m., the van stayed parked, still humming its engine, unchanged from the earlier snowfall of a seemingly clueless day – a silent witness to a tragic morning’s abrupt death.
Unexpected Noon Drop‑In: The Curious Case of a Missing Delivery Man
Picture it: the usual 9 am drill at a local grocery shop in Singapore—a steaming pot of Chinese press headlines lacing the shelves. Shin Min claimed it was the job of one delivery artist with a timetable as rigid as a monk’s sunrise prayer.
Why the Delivery Clock Missed a Beat
Shop owner Mo was mind‑reading that morning, expecting the newspaper crusader to pop in like a well‑tuned clocktower. When the mailman didn’t show, Mo chalked it up to a simple thing: rest day. He told the cops, “I’ve seen him every day at 9:00. If he’s absent, it must be a day off.”
The Ticking Bomb Still Knocking
In a twist no one saw coming, the police later found a 55‑year‑old man dead at the shop. That’s the skeleton of the story: a report, a dead delivery man, and a city still trying to make sense of it.
What’s Next?
- The authorities are digging deeper into how that guy ended up on the shop floor.
- Investigation teams are racing to find any evidence that could explain why a man who’s always on time vanished.
- For now, the only thing certain is that the shop’s morning ritual has been interrupted.
Related Reading
Last week a 67‑year‑old taxi driver also met his fate on Bedok Reservoir Road. The entire city is still shaking from these sudden stop‑gaps in everyday lives.
Contact: [email protected] | Singapore Police Force
