The coroner's inquiry into the deaths of five men who were in a fiery car crash in Tanjong Pagar on Feb 13 last year heard that the white BMW M4 had hit speeds of up to 181kmh.
The speed limit for the stretch along Tanjong Pagar Road is 50kmh, Senior Staff Sergeant Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman testified yesterday before State Coroner Adam Nakhoda.
The Traffic Police investigator added that 29-year-old Jonathan Long Junwei was the driver when the accident occurred. Mr Long clocked speeds of up to 148kmh while driving around the Tanjong Pagar area.
Senior Staff Sgt Firdaus said that at about 5.40am, the car crashed into a pillar at a shophouse and burst into flames.
He added that an autopsy showed that Mr Long had a blood alcohol reading of 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. This exceeded the legal limit of 80mg per 100ml.
Mr Long and his four passengers - Mr Wilson Teo Qi Xiang, 26; Mr Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28; Mr Eugene Yap Zheng Min, 29; and Mr Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29 - were killed in the incident.
Senior Staff Sgt Firdaus told the court that shortly before the tragedy, Mr Long and his friends were at a Chinese New Year gathering in Ang Mo Kio where they consumed alcoholic drinks.
They then left for Hong Jja Jang restaurant in Tanjong Pagar Road, where they continued drinking.
The eatery was run by Mr Park Se Jin. Senior Staff Sgt Firdaus said that according to witnesses, Mr Long later decided to show his newly purchased BMW to his friends. The group took turns at the wheel, each driving once around the Tanjong Pagar area.
Mr Yap, who was later found to have 119mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, was the first to take the car for a ride that morning.
Mr Park and another friend, Ms Phoo Yi Lin, joined him in the car. Mr Yap drove from the Tanjong Pagar restaurant towards Keppel, and made a U-turn in Enggor Street.
After that, he drove the car along Tanjong Pagar Road towards Maxwell Road before stopping near the eatery. Mr Yap had driven the car at speeds of between 75kmh and 88kmh.
Mr Park then took the wheel, with Ms Phoo as the passenger. He also followed the same path and drove at speeds of up to 59kmh.
Ms Phoo then took over. Mr Park and Mr Yap were in the car with her. She also followed the same path, clocking speeds of between 109 kmh and 130kmh.
This was ascertained from closed-circuit television camera footage in the area.
But dashcam footage taken from a taxi in the area suggested Ms Phoo may have hit speeds of up to 181kmh, said Senior Staff Sgt Firdaus.
Mr Long was the fourth driver and four of his friends - Mr Teo, Mr Tan, Mr Yap and Mr Wong - joined him in the vehicle.
They did so even though the car had designated seats for only the driver and three passengers.
He was speeding along Tanjong Pagar Road when the car skidded and mounted a kerb.
It struck a pillar at an estimated speed of between 87kmh and 99kmh, resulting in the fatal crash.
After the accident, Mr Long's fiancee, former air stewardess Raybe Oh Siew Huey, 26, rushed to the scene to try to help the occupants and was badly burned in the incident.
She spent four months in the Singapore General Hospital.
Senior Staff Sgt Firdaus testified that Mr Long, Mr Yap and Mr Tan died from severe burns.
Mr Teo died from severe burns and a spinal injury, while Mr Wong died from severe burns and pelvic injuries.
The coroner's inquiry has been adjourned to a later date.
Correction note: The article has been edited to reflect the correct speeds at which Mr Park and Ms Phoo had been driving, following clarifications from the AGC.
