Jernelle Oh Calls Out Inconsiderate Neighbour Who Has Been Throwing Lit Cigarette Butts Out The Window For The Past 2 Years

For the past two years, Mediacorp actress Jernelle Oh, 27, and her family has had to contend with the behaviour of an “inconsiderate" neighbour, who lives in a unit above hers.

According to Jernelle, who went viral internationally because of her role in an episode of Crimewatch, her neighbour has been flicking lit cigarette butts out of their windows with nary a care about where they land.

As if living with the secondhand smoke is not annoying enough, Jernelle says the cigarettes have burned holes in the laundry she and her family have hung out to dry as well.

Recently, Jernelle took to IG to air her frustrations, revealing that the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC town council and the police are aware of this issue, though that hasn't deterred the selfish litterbug.

That's one nasty burn mark

In an interview with 8days.sg, Jernelle said this started happening around the Circuit Breaker period in 2020.

"The first time, it was just cigarette ashes staining our clothes. My grandma asked me about it when she was bringing in the laundry. I realised the stains were from cigarettes because I could smell the smoke from my window and I could see the ash falling from above,” she shared.

Apart from the burn marks on her sister’s jeans (see pic above), the cigarette butts also burned a "huge hole" in her parents’ bedsheets as well as her own white camisole.

We sure hope Jernelle's neighbour reads this story

"After the bedsheet incident, I called the non-emergency SPF hotline to inform them about this, as the consequences could be dire if any laundry were to catch on fire. I was hoping the police could find the culprit. The police informed Town Council on our behalf, and I received a case number after that,” she said.

While the situation seemed to have gotten better after the Town Council stepped in, it seems like the litterbug is back at it again.

"We still occasionally smell people smoking near the window but we live with it. The straw that broke the camel's back was the burn marks on my sisters’ jeans (along with the cigarette butt) yesterday…” she said.

Jernelle and her family, who live on one of the lower floors of their “10+ floor” HDB block, suspect the culprit stays in "the unit one or two floors above [them]”.

"Taking the wind into consideration, we don't think ash from higher floors would land on our clothes,” she said.

Unfortunately, there is a ledge separating every level, so her family aren’t able to see for sure which unit is responsible.

It's not that hard to dispose of your own cigarette butts, right?

Jernelle also said that after chatting with her other neighbours, it seems like her home is the only one affected.

"I have not confronted the neighbour as I'm not sure who it is. But the first time it happened, I did shout to the units above to stop smoking near the window as the ashes are landing on our laundry,” she said.

"Confrontations may sometimes come off the wrong way, but if I have to come face to face with them, I really hope this will stop. I would probably tell them not to dispose of cigarette butts by throwing them out of the window and be more considerate of other people," she added.

Finally, Jernelle said she and her family understand if people wish to smoke in the comfort of their own home, especially during the pandemic. However, the continued littering of the cigarette butts has become what she describes as a “serious issue” for her family.

She added that her followers advised her to drop an email to her MP, MP Hany Soh, after seeing her IG Story.

"I e-mailed her the day after, and my MP replied me on the same day that both NEA and Town Council will look into the matter," she said.

Under local regulations, smoking is allowed inside residential homes, and that includes smoking near windows. It is only prohibited in common properties within any residential building including atriums, courtyards, common corridors, lifts, lobbies, void decks, and stairwells.

However, high-rise littering is strictly against the law. Under the Environmental Public Health Act, stiff penalties can be meted out for high-rise littering offences.

The maximum fine for each littering act is $2,000 for the first court conviction, $4,000 for the second conviction and $10,000 for the third or subsequent conviction. The court may also issue a Corrective Work Order in addition to any court fines meted out.

Photos: Jernelle Oh/Instagram