Is our supply of Bober Tea still secure?
SINGAPORE - Details have emerged of three of the five men who died in an accident in Tanjong Pagar on Saturday (Feb 13) morning as messages of shock and condolences poured in from friends and family on social media.
The men were in a car which slammed into the front of a vacant shophouse and burst into flames at about 5.40am.
The driver of the BMW M4 coupe is believed to be Mr Jonathan Long, 29, while two of his passengers have been identified as Mr Gary Wong Hong Chieh, 29, and Mr Eugene Yap, 29. Mr Wong and Mr Long were long-time friends, according to social media posts.
The Straits Times understands that the two other passengers who died in the crash were Mr Elvin Tan Yong Hao, 28, and Mr Teo Qi Xiang, 26.
A 26-year-old woman, believed to be known to Mr Long, had attempted to assist him and the passengers after the accident. She suffered severe burns to her body and was taken to Singapore General Hospital.
Eugene Yap
According to previous media reports, Mr Yap was a co-founder of the local bubble tea chain Bober Tea.
His Instagram profile also said that he was a wealth manager with Aviva Financial Advisers. Social media posts showed that he and Mr Long were on a trip to the United States together in February last year.
Mr Yap was also pictured with sports cars and supercars in some of these posts.
According to a report by CNA in August last year, Mr Yap opened the first Bober Tea store here in June 2018 with co-founders Mr Joseph Oh and Mr Gabriel Kok.
Since then, the homegrown label has expanded in Singapore to eight outlets, with franchises also opening in Manila and California.
Gary Wong
According to his social media profiles, Mr Wong had studied IT at the Singapore Management University before starting a career in financial services.
He was also involved in volunteer work during the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
In a Facebook post in May last year, Mr Wong said he and Mr Long had bought thousands of face masks for distribution to needy families.
"Packing everything was really tiring but it will be worth it after all. Stay safe everyone, Covid-19 will be over sooner or later," the caption read.
A Facebook user, who identified herself as Mr Wong's sister, wrote on Saturday: "My beloved brother Gary was killed this morning. He had a big heart... (cared) for his family and loved to help the needy. But this morning, God took him away from us."
Jonathan Long
Mr Long also worked for Aviva Financial Advisers as a senior financial services manager, according to his social media profiles.
In some photos, Mr Long, who graduated from RMIT University at the SIM Global Education campus with an economics and finance degree, can also be seen posing with sports cars, including a blue BMW.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...tanjong-pagar-crash-and-passengers-identified