Off-duty policeman who gave stranded uncle free ride home: "I almost teared after all the positive reactions"

Police sergeant Mohamad Elfie was overwhelmed by the positive reactions from netizens in response to a video of him helping a stranded man on the PIE.

In an earlier Stomp article, it was reported that the 30-year-old stopped his motorcycle to check on the man before giving him a ride home on Jun 12. He was off-duty at that point of time and had just ended his shift earlier in the morning.

Through their conversation, Elfie found out that the man was from India. He is believed to be to be in his 60s and staying in Singapore since March. 

The uncle had taken a bus earlier and missed his stop. He then tried to get to the other side of the PIE but entered the expressway by mistake and later got stuck in the middle of the busy road.

After offering him a spare helmet, Elfie sent the elderly man back to his home in Eunos. He then accompanied him to the lift lobby of his HDB flat and explained to his daughter-in-law what had happened.

The policeman's actions were captured on a new helmet camera that he had purchased. He posted the video on his Facebook page as he felt that lessons can be learnt by others from his experience. 

He initially thought that was that and did not pay much attention to the video thereafter. Little did he know however, that his heartwarming act would go viral.

In three days, his video garnered more than 5,000 shares, 380,000 views and 1,600 comments, most of which contained praise for what he has done.

The Stomp Team made a trip down to Changi Neighbourhood Police Centre where Elfie worked today (Jun 16) to find out more about how he felt about the positive feedback he has received.

He said that he was overwhelmed by the responses he has gotten. After he posted his video, his Facebook feed was raining with likes and comments.

He told reporters that his phone battery went flat because of all the notifications. He charged his mobile device with a powerbank, and it too went flat because of all the Facebook updates.

"I almost teared, to be honest, because the encouragement, comments and responses from people really touched me. 

"I feel good and I feel that there is a bigger purpose to my video," said the 30-year-old.

Elife attributed his selflessness to his mother who worked as a nurse. Her actions, both in and out of work, instilled him with values of patience and generosity.

When asked about his parents' reaction to the viral video, Elfie said that they were very proud of him.

He elaborated:

"You know, when I first joined the police force seven years ago, I thought that that was the last thing I can make them (Elfie's parents) proud of. 

"I didn't know that I can make them proud again seven years later."