Singapore boy, 3, who was left unattended, dies from falling into condo pool; nanny’s claim of losing sight of him contradicts CCTV footage

SINGAPORE: A three-year-old boy died after riding his kick-scooter into a condominium swimming pool while left unsupervised, in a case that has prompted renewed warnings about the dangers of leaving young children unattended near deep waters.

Delivering her findings on June 11, Coroner Brenda Chua ruled the death an accidental drowning and stressed the need for constant supervision of young children, especially around swimming pools. The incident happened on March 5, 2025, at a condominium where the boy lived with his parents.

The case centred on a 46-second period during which the child rode his scooter away from a playground and entered the pool area without anyone following him, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported (June 11).

He was too close to the sloping edge of the pool

The boy had gone downstairs with his 60-year-old nanny, who had cared for him since he was eight months old. Court documents showed the pair shared a close bond, with the child calling her “nai nai”, or grandmother.

As part of the boy’s usual evening routine, he brought his kick scooter to the playground. According to the findings, the boy rode off toward the condominium’s main swimming pool.

He attempted to turn near the pool edge but was too close to the sloping side and fell into the water together with his scooter. The pool was about 1.2m deep and had no physical barrier around it. The child was about 1m tall.

A resident later spotted the boy and scooter in the pool from her unit and alerted the authorities. Despite rescue efforts and attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead in the hospital later that evening. An autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death.

CCTV footage challenged the nanny’s statement

One of the key issues examined during the inquiry was the nanny’s description of what happened before the boy disappeared from view.

She initially maintained that she had been watching him closely and only lost sight of him momentarily while placing a water bottle on a nearby bench. However, CCTV footage didn’t show her carrying out the action she described.

Coroner Chua noted that the nanny was “not forthcoming” at times during the inquiry and frequently appeared to deflect questions. As questioning continued, she eventually accepted that the footage didn’t support her earlier account.

Investigators also found that the nanny wasn’t the first to spot the child in the pool. A female passerby saw the boy in the water, while a male passerby alerted the nanny. CCTV footage supported those findings. The nanny later acknowledged that her attention hadn’t been on the child continuously.

Nanny remained seated and expected the boy to return on his own

The coroner identified a critical 46-second window between the moment the boy rode away and the moment the nanny got up to search for him. During that brief period, the child entered the pool and drowned.

The nanny admitted she remained seated and expected the boy to return on his own. CCTV footage also showed that she didn’t immediately follow him after he left the playground.

Coroner Chua said it was clear from the footage that the nanny hadn’t followed the child despite instructions from his father to do so whenever the boy rode off on his scooter.

At the same time, the coroner acknowledged that the nanny later jumped into the pool to retrieve the boy, even though she couldn’t swim herself.

A reminder about child supervision around water

Drowning incidents involving young children always happen quickly and silently. The findings underscore how little time is needed for a tragedy to occur when a child is near a pool.

The case is a sobering reminder that child supervision cannot be intermittent. For toddlers, a few seconds can make the difference between a close call and a fatal accident.

Coroner Chua urged caregivers to maintain close and active supervision whenever young children are playing near swimming pools to help prevent similar incidents in the future. When young children are near water, there is no substitute for keeping them within sight and within reach at all times.