A 74-year-old delivery driver attending a housewarming party of a relative on Sunday night died from injuries he suffered after being hit by a bottle that his family believes was thrown from a 35-storey condominium.
Mr Nasiari Sunee had just sat down to eat at the barbecue pit at Spottiswoode 18 in Spottiswoode Park, according to his two older children.
Speaking to The Straits Times after their father's burial yesterday, Madam Nas Suriati Nasiari and Mr Nas Muhammad Nasta'in Nasiari said that their mother and other relatives were sitting with him when it happened.
"Suddenly, our relatives heard a big thud and another thud. They realised my dad had collapsed on the floor and his head was bleeding," said Madam Nas Suriati, the oldest of Mr Nasiari's four children.
"They saw a glass bottle on the table," added the 44-year-old service manager.
Mr Nasiari's family believes that the bottle, after hitting him, ricocheted and hit his 69-year-old wife, who suffered bruises on her shoulder. The bottle did not break.
A relative who is a nurse tended to Mr Nasiari before he was taken by ambulance to the Singapore General Hospital for treatment at about 8.35pm.
But his heart stopped thrice during his treatment, his daughter said.
The family decided not to resuscitate him if it stopped a fourth time, she added. "We didn't want to prolong the pain."
Mr Nas Muhammad Nasta'in, 39, said his father's blood pressure plunged the next morning, and he died at about 9am.
Madam Nas Suriati said the family called the police after the incident, and tried to look for the person who had thrown the bottle.
Police said the case has been classified as a rash act causing death. Investigations are ongoing.
If convicted, the culprit faces a jail sentence of up to five years and a fine. Last year, the National Environment Agency took action on more than 1,200 cases of high-rise littering, and cameras were deployed in more than 1,000 areas with a persistent high-rise littering problem.
Mr Nas Muhammad Nasta'in, an assistant manager, said his father, who had nine grandchildren, was well loved by his family and neighbours, many of whom turned up for the wake. Even his many cousins called him "ayah", which is Malay for father, he added.
"In the last two days, we have cried enough. We are putting aside our grief and staying strong for our mum," he said.
