SINGAPORE — September 2, 2026 — A 41-year-old man has been charged over a fatal Geylang pasar malam crash that killed a stall attendant after a rental car allegedly lost control and smashed into a temporary night-market stall in July 2025.
Muhammad Shafiq Razali faces seven charges, including driving under the influence of drugs, dangerous driving causing death as a serious offender, driving without a valid licence, and using a vehicle without insurance coverage. He also faces charges for allegedly failing to stop and provide particulars after the accident and failing to render assistance.
The case has drawn renewed attention to Singapore’s crackdown on etomidate-containing vaporisers, particularly after authorities linked multiple road accidents to drug or etomidate use.
The Crash That Turned Fatal
The incident happened at about 11.45pm on July 11, 2025, near Pipit Road and Block 52A Circuit Road, where a temporary pasar malam was operating.
According to Singapore Police Force findings cited in court reports, the car allegedly surged forward after the driver pressed the accelerator excessively. It crashed through a car-park barrier, crossed the two-lane Pipit Road, mounted a kerb and then slammed into the temporary night-market stall.
A 66-year-old female stall attendant was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.
Some subsequent media reports have described the victim as 67. The Singapore Police Force’s original 2025 statement identified her as 66, so that is the figure used here.
Police Say Driver Fled the Scene
Police allege that Shafiq did not stop to help the injured woman.
Instead, he allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled with a male passenger.
Traffic Police officers later identified him through ground inquiries and CCTV footage and arrested him within 15 hours, on July 12, 2025.
Police said preliminary investigations also found that Shafiq did not have a valid driving licence.
The rental vehicle had been booked using the account of his male passenger, who had a valid licence.
Authorities said no further action would be taken against that passenger because he subsequently died in an unrelated road traffic accident.
What Etomidate Has to Do With the Case
The prosecution alleges that Shafiq had used a vaporiser containing etomidate before driving.
Etomidate is a sedative-hypnotic drug that Singapore authorities have been increasingly concerned about after its illicit use in vaporisers.
Singapore temporarily classified etomidate and its analogues as Class C controlled drugs from September 1, 2025, while authorities simultaneously introduced tougher enforcement and rehabilitation measures targeting etomidate-vaporiser abuse.
The government has warned that substances such as etomidate can affect reaction time, attention and coordination, creating serious risks when used before driving.
Prosecutors Seek Up to 16 Years’ Jail
At Wednesday’s court hearing, prosecutors sought S$100,000 bail and indicated that if Shafiq claims trial, they intend to seek 15 to 16 years’ imprisonment and a 20- to 23-year driving disqualification.
Shafiq requested an adjournment because he wanted time to engage a lawyer.
His bailor was unable to raise the amount, so he was remanded. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 9, 2026.
These are the prosecution’s stated positions; they are not a sentence or finding of guilt.
Seven Charges in Total
The charges reported against Shafiq include:
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Dangerous driving causing death as a serious offender
- Dangerous driving as a serious offender
- Driving without a valid licence
- Using a vehicle without insurance coverage
- Failing to stop and provide particulars after an accident
- Failing to render assistance after an accident
If convicted of dangerous driving causing death, the relevant offence carries a substantial custodial penalty, while the other charges could bring additional penalties and driving disqualification.
A Bigger Warning About Etomidate and Road Safety
The Geylang case comes amid a wider government crackdown on etomidate and vaporiser abuse.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs, 38 traffic accidents between 2023 and 2025 were linked to drug or etomidate use.
Of those accidents, 19 resulted in deaths. Nine of the fatal cases involved etomidate, while the other 10 involved drugs without etomidate.
The numbers became particularly concerning in 2025. The Straits Times reported that there were 18 road accidents involving etomidate that year, compared with one in 2024 and none in 2023.
Meanwhile, Singapore has continued intensifying enforcement against illicit vaporisers.
From April to June 2026, authorities caught and penalised 2,428 people for possession or use of vaporisers. Of those, 457 were etomidate-vaporiser offenders, according to the Ministry of Health.
Why This Case Matters Beyond Geylang
The tragedy is no longer simply a story about a crash at a night market.
It sits at the intersection of three issues Singapore has been confronting simultaneously:
drug and etomidate abuse, road safety, and the enforcement of driving laws.
The case also illustrates why authorities have been pushing tougher measures against etomidate use.
Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry has said that existing law previously required prosecutors to establish that drug use had actually impaired a person’s driving, creating evidential challenges in cases where officers arrived only after a crash. The government has therefore moved to introduce a separate offence covering the presence of specified substances in a driver’s blood, subject to the legislation’s provisions and defences.
That legislative direction reflects a broader concern: waiting until someone loses control of a vehicle may be too late.
The Bigger Picture
The Geylang pasar malam crash happened more than a year ago, but its consequences are now moving through the courts.
A woman working at a temporary night-market stall lost her life.
Police say the alleged driver had no valid licence, had allegedly used an etomidate-containing vaporiser and fled after the collision.
Now, seven criminal charges are before the court.
The allegations must still be tested through Singapore’s legal process, and Shafiq is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
But the case is likely to remain closely watched as Singapore continues its aggressive response to etomidate abuse and drug-related road accidents.
Accuracy note
This rewrite was cross-checked against the Singapore Police Force, The Straits Times, AsiaOne, Mothership, The Star and Singapore government sources. One discrepancy exists in reporting of the victim’s age: some later reports say 67, while the Singapore Police Force’s original July 2025 statement identified her as 66. This article follows the official police figure. The prosecution’s proposed 15–16-year sentence and 20–23-year driving disqualification are requests/positions stated in court, not an imposed sentence.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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