Puah Zhe Cong, 34, caused a crash on June 5, 2025, at about 1:15 a.m. along the Central Expressway (CTE) towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE) involving two cars and a motorcycle [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. He was driving under the influence of etomidate, an anaesthetic drug linked to e-vaporisers (Kpods) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Puah swerved erratically before stopping his car in the middle of the expressway, obstructing traffic prior to the collision [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. A motorcycle then collided with Puah’s stationary vehicle, throwing the 20-year-old rider and his 28-year-old pillion onto oncoming traffic [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The rider was taken unconscious to hospital and later died from multiple serious injuries [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The pillion rider suffered grievous injuries including a spinal fracture, liver lacerations, head injury, right ankle fracture, and abrasions [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
A 28-year-old male passenger of another car involved also sustained injuries [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. After the crash, Puah left the scene without helping the injured and failed to report the accident to police within 24 hours [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. He was arrested, tested positive for etomidate, and had his driving licence immediately suspended [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Puah faces seven charges related to this crash, including dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop after the accident [2, 3, 4, 5]. He has a total of 24 charges pending in court, including cheating, theft, and money laundering [2, 3, 4, 5]. One notable charge includes allegedly stealing a white Audi A3 valued at around $60,000 from a multi-storey carpark at Bedok Reservoir Road in July 2024 [2, 3, 4, 5].
Traffic police data shows a rise in road accidents linked to drug and etomidate use between 2023 and 2025, with 38 cases and 19 deaths over that period [1]. Road traffic deaths in Singapore hit a 10-year high of 149 in 2025, up from 142 in 2024 [1, 4, 5]. The number of people injured in road accidents rose from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025, an increase of 931 injuries year-on-year [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Puah’s case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on June 26, 2025 [2, 3, 4, 5].
