Category：Society

Bank robber still counting cash when police arrived to arrest him

A robbery occurred in broad daylight Wednesday morning at a Taishin International Bank branch in Banqiao, New Taipei. The suspect, a 50-year-old-man, had threatened to attack a bank clerk and a client, who had just exchanged some NT$400,000 cash, with a pair of scissors. Other tellers reported the incident, and police arrived in just 30 seconds, as some of them were patrolling the area. The suspect was arrested on the spot. Let’s hear more.

Eyewitness
Watched from short distance
Suddenly, lots of people ran out, and many police cars arrived shortly afterwards, and they rushed over. By the time I passed by, the police had already restrained him.

Tsai Yuan-hsiang
Banqiao Precinct officer
Members of the public and bank tellers on the scene looked quite frightened. When we arrived on the scene, he was still holding the scissors. We made him drop them. He also didn’t resist much.

Fang Yang-ning
New Taipei Police Commissioner
This instance of crime, the suspect’s cash robbery at the bank, has concrete evidence. Whether it was premeditated or whether there are accomplices remain to be investigated.

After the suspect surnamed Wang got hold of the NT$404,200, instead of running off, he calmly took a seat and started counting the money. He was also compliant when the police arrived. Fortunately, no one was injured. According to the police, Huang is a repeat offender. The police have also requested prosecutors order him to be detained.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#robbery #bank #cash #safety #police

2026-06-17

Truck scares fellow drivers with precariously stacked scooters

Drivers in Nantou’s Mingjian Township were met with a frightening sight recently, when a flatbed truck roared by with six scooters stacked up on the back, seemingly without anything tying them down. People were afraid to drive behind it for fear that one would fall off. Police said that the driver broke the law, and could be fined up to NT$18,000.

The driver is absolutely right—those scooters are stacked too high!

On this slick road in Nantou’s Mingjian Township, motorists noticed a vehicle carting what seemed to be at least six scooters crammed onto the truck bed. They bounced around with every bump, scaring the drivers behind it. If one were to fall off, it could cause a massive accident.

The bikes on the back of this truck were stacked up three high. No wonder people were calling it scooter Jenga.

Member of public
They didn’t even tie them down properly, yet managed to stack them up so none of them fell off. Even though it’s pretty dangerous, I couldn’t look away.

Lee Cheng-chang
Nantou precinct deputy chief
The loading height for small vehicles cannot exceed 2.85m from the ground. Furthermore, according to Article 29 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, carrying an oversized load can incur a fine of up to NT$18,000.

The driver was surely angling to cut corners by stacking the scooters up that high, but now they’re facing a fine of up to NT$18,000. The police said they’d set up a checkpoint along that section of road to pull over any suspect vehicles, and would issue fines on the spot.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#jenga #scooterjenga #roadsafety #trafficviolation #Nantou #driving #oddity

2026-06-16

Two dead, two injured in suspected bento shop gas explosion

A suspected gas explosion at a bento shop in Hsinchu City claimed two lives in the early hours of Tuesday. The tragedy took place on Gaocui Road, where 11 explosions were counted in just 4 seconds. The huge force caused damaged all over the street, and collapsed a brick wall that crushed the couple living next door. The bento shop owner, who lives on the building’s third floor was injured, and so was another neighbor on the first floor of the house to the other side of the shop. Let’s hear more.

Kuo Peng-hsin
Borough warden
It seems the explosion happened at the bento shop, and it damaged the bakery next door.

Local
Lives nearby
They used to sell lamb stew there. It became a bento shop this year.

Lee Shih-kung
Hsinchu City Fire Bureau
The force of the explosion toppled a brick wall next door, which crushed a husband and wife who were sleeping. When we found them, they didn’t have any vital signs.

Due to the force of the explosion, fire fighters thought that there must have been more than one leaky gas canister. But another possibility is that the gas accumulated over a longer period inside the bento shop, causing a big bang. The exact cause of the incident is under investigation.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#gas #gasexplosion #hsinchu #bento

2026-06-09

Unlicensed bus driver carrying group of 15 tumbles off highway

A midibus driven by an unlicensed operator had tumbled Sunday evening while descending Hehuanshan’s North Peak. The group of 15 tourists from the Philippines and the driver sustained injuries after the bus tumbled 2m down the side slope of a hairpin bend amid the heavy rain. Of the two most severe cases, one had intracranial hemorrhage, while the other had pelvic fractures. The unlicensed driver was a freelancer registered on a contractual basis with a bus operator, on whom the police are now pursuing legal action.

- 91 arriving. Please report on the situation.

The ambulance is arriving on the scene of a car accident. The emergency response center asks personnel to report back on the situation, including the number of casualties, to determine whether to dispatch additional teams.

- How many are trapped? Please take a look and report back.

Emergency personnel pull the injured people up along the side slope. One had injuries to the head, while another had bone fractures. Others sustained relatively minor injuries.

- Are they out here for leisure or something else?
- To hike, and to see high mountain rhododendrons.

The incident took place on Wushe Township section of Provincial Highway 14 Sunday evening. A group of 15 tourists from the Philippines had traveled to Hehuanshan North Peak on a midibus. During the descent, the bus slipped on a turn and tumbled 2m down the side slope. All 15, plus a Taiwanese driver sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Chen Chong-ming
Puli Christian Hospital
The one that was sent to the ICU had intracranial hemorrhage, but not much bleeding. We’re monitoring the conditions, but for now there’s no need for surgery. The other patient has pelvic fractures, which requires surgery, but we’ll have to wait another day or two.

From an aerial view, the vehicle can be seen to have landed up-side-down, while the front end was left deformed from the impact. It had fallen along a hairpin turn. Was it because the driver was unfamiliar with the road conditions?

Cheng An-shun
Central Region Branch Office, Highway Bureau
The road was slippery because it was raining heavily, and the driver was too fast while making the turn on a downward slope, so the vehicle tumbled.

The police later found that the driver, a 42-year-old man surnamed Chang, only had a regular driver’s license. Worse, it had been invalidated. He does not have a professional large vehicle license. The offense is fineable by up to NT$80,000 on both the vehicle’s owner and the driver, with the vehicle confiscated on the spot.

Shih Chao-chen
Renai Precinct, Nantou County Police
Our investigation found that the driver surnamed Chang was not driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, he is not a holder of a license of business
large passenger vehicle. Therefore, the police will pursue criminal action according to law.

Bus operator
Contracted with driver
The vehicle is registered with us on a contractual basis by a freelance operator. We’re still investigating the matter. We did arrive to inspect the scene at the time of the incident.

Our reporter went to the bus operator location in Hsinchu’s Hukou Township. The owner only told us that Chang is an individual operator registered with them on contract, and said nothing about him being unlicensed.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#traffic #roadsafety #unlicensed #tourbus #duediligence

2026-06-08

Unattended wok causes large blaze on hawker’s truck

On Thursday, a hawker was driving his scallion pancake truck from Taoyuan to Keelung and doing business. Then, on one stop, he went to the restroom and forgot to turn off his burner, causing his deep fryer filled with oil to catch fire, emitting enormous flames. When he returned, he tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, only to burn his hand and have the blaze grow bigger. Let’s see what happened.

Flames burn fiercely out of a hawker’s truck. The blaze originated from a deep frying wok. Impossibly black, thick smoke shot into the sky, not only burning through the entire roof, but even damaging a sign on a nearby drugstore.

When the firefighters arrived, they immediately used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but after the entire canister was used up, the fire was still just as big. They then had to change their approach and spray water to extinguish it.

With a powerful jet of water, the fire was finally extinguished, leaving only the frame of the stand.

- The metal cover next to it got too hot and instantly caught fire.
- Your hands are burned!
- Put some ice on them.

Kao Cheng-huang
Keelung City Fire Department
The deep fryer for selling scallion pancakes caught fire, and we quickly set up water lines to put it out.

On Fuxing Road in Keelung City, the scallion pancake hawker’s truck caught fire when the owner suddenly needed to use the restroom and forgot to turn off the burner, causing hot oil to splatter and start a fire. The owner immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but the fire only intensified, and he also burned his hands. Firefighters remind the public that if a cooking oil fire occurs, do not pour water on it, and don’t rush for the fire extinguisher.

Kao Cheng-huang
Keelung City Fire Department
The correct method is to first cover the pot with a lid, then turn off the power and the range hood. After covering it, cover the pot with a damp towel and let it sit for five minutes to cool down before opening the pot lid.

In addition to covering the oil pan with its lid in order to cut off the air and extinguish the fire, fire fighters also said that a certain distance must be maintained when using a fire extinguisher to avoid high-pressure gas causing hot oil to splatter everywhere and burn even more.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#kitchenfires #fire #firefighting #Keelung #Taoyuan #Scallionpancakes

2026-06-05

Operator dies crushed by hook after crane tilts over

A crane operator was killed at work after a lifting operation went awry in Chiayi’s Dongshi Township. It began when the crane was lifted off the ground on one side from attempting to lift something too heavy. The operator tried to straighten it back up, and managed to do so by rocking the cabin back. But as the crane got upright again, the heavy hook at the end of the boon swung back as well and smashed into the driver’s cab in full force. First responders found the man with no signs of life, and he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

In the middle of a lifting operation, the crane tilted over, leaving several supports in the air.

The operator tried to rock the crane back into position, but as soon as it settled, the hook suspended from the end swung back and crashed into the cab, critically injuring the operator.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but the crane operator showed no signs of life. Medics tried to resuscitate him, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Hung Ming-tsung
Dongshi Fire Brigade
When we arrived at the scene, we saw the crane operator, approximately 60 years old, had sustained a traumatic injury and had suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We provided emergency treatment and rushed him to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Was the tragic incident caused by a mechanical failure? Or human error? A crane operator says that trying to resolve an off-balance crane that way is not recommended.

Crane operator
Unrelated to incident
The crane was overloaded and he tried to save the situation himself. He retracted the boom, which settled the crane back down. But that made the hook swing back and strike the cab. They should’ve stabilized the crane with two others first to reduce the risk.

Labor safety inspectors are investigating whether there were any violations of safety protocols or operating procedures. For now it seems that the response to a moment of panic and trying to solve problems alone ended costing a man his life.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#crane #construction #tradie #contractor #craneoperator

2026-06-03

Grandma watches 7-yo grandson charge to own death on scooter

Do you sometimes not switch off the engine of your vehicle if you’re only stopping briefly? This shocking accident may convince you to turn it off every time. On Wednesday afternoon, a grandmother in Changhua witnessed her 7-year-old grandson charge towards his death while getting seated on the scooter, which she had left running between trips. While the kid steadied himself, he held onto the right handlebar and accidentally twisted the throttle, which caused the scooter to go off. At the very instant the kid fell, a garbage truck arrived and ran over him, killing him on the spot.

The surveillance footage shows a person waiting for the garbage truck with a bag of waste in hand. In the same frame, a grandmother-and-grandson duo are about to set off on a scooter from a farm supply shop. The grandma stands on the left side of the scooter while she waits for the kid to steady himself on the seat. Suddenly, the scooter charges forward, crossing paths with the garbage truck that has just arrived. In that very instant, the kid is run over and dies on the spot.

Chen Han-yu
Hanbao Fire Station chief
When our team arrived at the scene, the patient’s brain tissue had already been clearly exposed and he was dead on arrival. We covered him with an emergency blanket right there and then.

The incident occurred on Erxi Road in Changhua’s Fangyuan Township. The grandmother had taken her grandson with her to buy fertilizers. Just as they were about to travel home on the scooter, the grandma had held the idling scooter with one hand, and waited for her grandson, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, to get seated. While the kid was steadying himself, he appeared to have twisted the throttle and caused the scooter to charge ahead. At that very instant, the garbage truck arrived. Even though an eyewitness had tried to gesture to the driver to stop, it was already too late. The grandmother could only helplessly watch the accident unfold.

Chang Hung-lin
Fangyuan Precinct, Changhua County Police
The kid, surnamed Lee, was getting seated on his grandmother’s scooter when he accidentally twisted the throttle and caused the scooter to charge ahead. At that instant, the Fangyuan Township Office’s garbage truck ran over Lee’s head. The driver involved in this case was not driving under the influence of drugs.

Eyewitness
Garbage truck incident
You must turn off the engine after getting off the scooter. You can’t leave the engine on. It’s a real hazard for young kids. He wasn’t even wearing a helmet.

The 7-year-old boy had lost his father to illness when he was only 3 months old. He was primarily raised by his grandma, as his mother works long hours.

- The grandchild was raised singlehandedly by the grandma herself.
- Apparently, he’s very clever.
- Yes, very.
- What happened must be really difficult for everyone.
- Yes, it’s such a pity. The grandma really blames herself.

Meanwhile, the township office stated that it will assist the family in procedural matters. The grandma is being supported by her community, but she will have to forgive herself to truly move on.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#accident #caraccident #safety #roadsafety #scooter

2026-05-29

Zhonghe woman stalked by creepy masked man making obscene gestures

A disturbing stalking incident has raised alarm bells in New Taipei’s Zhonghe District, where a woman was harassed by a strange creepy man at the end of last month. The stalker followed her from Jin He Sports Park to her apartment and even made obscene gestures, wearing a balaclava to conceal his face. The terrified victim called the police, but even now, she’s afraid to go out on her own and her neighbors have put up warning signs. Let’s find out more.

A man sneaks into an alley, walks to the end, then turns back before suspiciously putting on a balaclava and looking around. He was stalking a woman until she noticed him, at which point he bolted. This stalking case took place last month in Zhonghe District in New Taipei. This man did not only stalk her, but also made obscene advances. Even now, the victimized woman is still afraid to go out on her own.

Victim (Anonymized)
Was stalked in Zhonghe
Extreme fear, persistent insomnia. I’m still too scared to go out alone at night, and when I get home, I still have the lingering fear that there’s someone in the house downstairs.

After being arrested, the 37-year-old man, surnamed Kao, claimed he only did it because he was bored. While the police handling the case determined that his actions did not meet the criteria of the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act—as he did not repeatedly or continuously target a specific individual—he was still referred for prosecution under charges of harassment and public obscenity.

Boyfriend of victim (Anonymized)
Girlfriend was stalked
The police actually told me that the case would be rejected. He came to my building, wearing a balaclava and staring at my house. Doesn’t that count as surveillance? Or tailing? The district prosecutor’s office has made a case, but the police have written that it does not fall under the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act.

Lin Chiu-chu
Zhonghe police precinct
Since this was a one-off incident, it is difficult to determine whether it meets the statutory elements of repeated and continuous conduct under the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act. Therefore, a warning has not been issued at this time. The party concerned may raise an objection within ten days of receiving the notice.

The community has now posted notices warning people to be careful of this person. But the victim hopes that the man will be punished by the law, so that he will learn his lesson and prevent any more innocent women from falling victim to him.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#stalker #creep #followed #park #zhonghe #newtaipei

2026-05-28

Terrified student attacked by rock-throwing stranger for no reason in downtown Taipei

A student on Wednesday was terrified after a complete stranger rushed at him and threw a rock at his motorcycle outside Taipei Main Station. The National Chengchi University student had ridden his motorcycle to a waiting area, and was waiting for someone, when he was unexpectedly charged by a man, who yelled at him and even pulled out an umbrella and threatened to attack him. Fortunately the student was unharmed, but he decided to call the police anyway.

Voice of Mr. Lee
Student
I was terrified. My scooter was hit, just like that. I felt it was baffling. There was absolutely no dispute between us. There was a motorcycle in front of me and he didn’t hit anyone else, or any other vehicle. He was only targeting me. My friend came about 30 minutes later. I didn’t even dare take off my helmet. I was afraid he would suddenly appear from behind and hit me or something.

Wu Wen-yi
FTV reporter
At the scene of the incident the rock remains here. It’s about the size of my palm. If it had actually hit someone, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

It was indeed a terrifying incident. Besides posting a warning on social media, the student also went to a police station to report the incident in hopes it would stop this kind of behavior. A lawyer also stated that such actions could constitute a violation of the Social Order Maintenance Act and an intimidation offence under the Criminal Code.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taipei #rock #scooter #travel #taipeimainstation #random

2026-05-28

Catnapper makes off with beloved shop cat at griddle cake shop

A cat abduction in broad daylight was caught on camera at a griddle cake shop in Taichung’s Daya District. The stolen cat is called Chuan-chia, after "FamilyMart," and was kidnapped, or rather, catnapped, by a stranger while it was sunbathing outside.

The cat thief was a woman, who came to the shop covered from head to toe, complete with a baseball cap and a facemask. She waited for the owner to be busy before calmly picking up the cat and walking off. The cat’s owners are worried sick, as Chuan-chia is a quite old at 16 years old, and requires special care. They have posted on social media asking for help and have filed a police report. The cat is orange and white and has a birthmark near its nose, a mountain-like marking on the left side of its body, and a round spot on the right. It is very friendly, unafraid of strangers and loves being held, making for a perfect recipe for an abduction.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#cat #catnapping #shop #griddlecake #kaohsiung

2026-05-27