Teen Jumps To His Death In Reported Snapchat Stunt In Singapore

One teen reportedly leapt to his death in Singapore after attempting a Snapchat stunt that went tragically wrong.

Jonathan Chow, 17, jumped over a barrier and fell four floors at Singapore’s Orchard Central mall Friday, The Straits Times reported.

Footage leaked from the mall’s closed-circuit television, which made its rounds on the internet Tuesday, appears to show Chow and a girl standing next to a railing in the mall. Chow jumps over the railing while the girl raises her arm, as if she’s recording the jump with a phone. Then she appears to panic and peers over the railing.

Orchard Central confirmed the authenticity of the 15-second video to The Straits Times.

A girl who identified herself only as Ruth to local media said she was there when Chow jumped.

Ruth said she and Chow were shopping at the mall and “when we went to the bridge, he came up with the idea of doing the stunt,” she told Today Online, a Singapore news website, during Chow’s wake.

Ruth explained that there was a ledge past the railing that appeared to be concrete. They were both supposed to leap onto the ledge and record each other.

“We both thought the ledge was concrete, but when he jumped, he fell straight through,” Ruth told Today Online.

The ledge was made of a decorative plasterboard casing and was not meant to bear weight, The Straits Times reported.

According to Ruth, Chow’s last words were, “Help me take a Snapchat video and I’ll jump.”

Far East Organization, the retail business that owns Orchard Central, said in a statement that the glass railing along the bridge is 1.2 meters (3.9 feet), “acts as a safety barrier” for the public and “prohibits access to the plasterboard box-up,” according to Today Online.

Chow’s father, however, called for more safety measures at Orchard Central.

“The [decorative structure] was wide enough to look like a passageway, and there was no warning sign to tell people that it should not be walked on,” Matthew Chow told The Straits Times. “We don’t want other families to go through what we went through.”

Ruth is assisting police with their investigation into the incident, according to Today Online.

Chow’s Facebook page was switched to a memorial page Wednesday evening.