New Taipei City

4 slightly injured after crowded metro escalator collapses

crowded escalator collapses
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

One person suffered a sprained ankle and three other people were bruised but did not need medical treatment after an escalator with around 30 people on it collapsed at Hsinpu MRT Station in New Taipei City’s Banqiao District, Friday, March 11. Taipei Metro administrators said that the ascending escalator suddenly stalled and slid backwards at 10:26 pm. Taipei Metro expressed its deep apologies to the affected passengers. Taipei Metro said that the escalators in MRT stations have strict maintenance schedules.

Read more

2 police “shooting at the tires” incidents leave 3 injured

composite image of two shooting incidents
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Police officers discharged firearms in separate incidents in New Taipei City and Taichung City in the last two days, and three people were injured by police bullets. At around 11:00 pm Thursday, March 10, police in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, attempted to pull over a driver of a silver Mercedes Benz bearing a false license plate. The 22-year-old driver, named Lin, sped up and attempted to escape. A chase ensued for around twenty minutes until the car, containing three

Read more

Driver flips car, jumps from 10-storey high expressway to avoid drunk driving charge

rolled over car
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

A driver who crashed his car on an elevated expressway in New Taipei City survived a fall from a height of around 10-storeys after he jumped in an attempt to evade drunk driving charges. According to reports, the 32-year-old man, named Wang, crashed into the guardrail on the Banqiao section of the East-West Expressway (Provincial Highway 64) at 2:40 am. Wang’s Ford sedan rolled over and landed on it’s roof. Wang was not seriously injured and got out of the

Read more

Wanted woman chased by police, crashes into pond

composite image showing vehicle in pond and suspect arrested
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A woman wanted for fraud attempted to evade a police check, leading to police shooting at the tires of her vehicle, and a chase that ended in a pond in Banqiao District, yesterday, February 21. At around 4:30 pm, police identified a minivan stopped at an intersection on Yumin Road in Tucheng District, driven by a 27-year-old woman named Zhang, who is wanted on charges of fraud. When police approached the vehicle and asked the woman to show her ID,

Read more

Residential gas explosion leaves 1 dead, 2 injured in New Taipei City

composite image of explosion and firefighters
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An elderly woman died, and her caregiver and a neighbor were injured, after a gas explosion tore through an apartment in Banqiao District today, February 21. New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of a blast followed by a fire in a first floor apartment in a lane off Xianmin Boulevarde at 12:39 pm. Twenty-five vehicles and 68 personnel were dispatched to the scene. A 34-year-old foreign caregiver and a 20-year-old Taiwanese man were found injured and rushed to hospital.

Read more

Testing of made in Taiwan armored vehicle vs European cars continues: Last week a Volvo, this week a Škoda

Taiwan army CM-33 Clouded Leopard and Skoda Fabia after minor collision
Military Affairs Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Taiwan army CM-33 “Clouded Leopard” armored vehicle had a minor collision with a Škoda Fabia during urban combat drills in New Taipei City today, just six days after a similar incident in Taoyuan City. At around 2:00 pm, the 8-wheeled, 22-tonne domestically-produced CM-33 driven by a 24-year-old army sergeant from the Guandu Division, hit the rear of the Czech-made supermini car in front of the Zhuwei MRT Station in Tamsui District. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the accident, and

Read more

Man arrested for selling Jesus-brand flavored laughing gas

composite image of Jesus Balloon Shop ad and laughing gas bottles being seized by police
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A 31-year-old man was arrested and 137 cylinders of nitrous oxide were seized in New Taipei City, following an investigation into laughing gas being sold under the brand, “Jesus Balloon Shop.” The New Taipei City Police Criminal Investigation Corps began an investigation after finding an internet user advertising flavored laughing gas on social media sites at a price of NT$4,500 per bottle. Flavors advertised included cola, sarsaparilla grape, mango, and honeydew melon. Police investigators traced the posts to a man

Read more

1 dead, 3 injured after residential gas explosion in New Taipei City

firefighters in debris-filled alley
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

One woman died, and three other people were injured after a gas explosion in a New Taipei City apartment early this morning, February 14. Residents in the vicinity of Xinming Street in Xindian District were awoken by a loud explosion at 4:14 am. Firefighters responded to reports of the explosion and fire in a fourth-floor apartment of a 5 storey building. The fire was brought under control and extinguished at 4:29 pm. A 46-year-old woman, named Zhou was found in

Read more

Cannabis grow ops busted in New Taipei City, Changhua City

cannabis
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , ,

Police from Taoyuan City launched raids in two separate municipalities, uncovering marijuana growing operations in New Taipei City and Changhua City, Friday, January 21, and Saturday, January 22. Police from Zhongli Branch of Taoyuan City Police Bureau coordinated with police from Shulin Branch of New Taipei City and Keelung Port Police Corps to conduct a pre-dawn raid on a house in Shulin District, New Taipei City yesterday, January 21. The raid uncovered 686 live cannabis plants, and 15 kilograms of

Read more

Drinking on construction sites leads to 2 separate drunk driving arrests in one day in New Taipei City

drunk driver and forklift
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Two men who were drunk by lunchtime on separate construction sites in New Taipei City were arrested for drunk driving yesterday, Friday, December 7. Shortly after noon, police in Tamsui District stopped a man driving a forklift to check if he had a permit to drive the vehicle on a public road. The 63-year-old driver, named Lan, did not have a permit, and police noticed that Lan reeked of alcohol. An alcohol breath test revealed that Lan had a blood

Read more

Two sanitation workers injured by exploding gas canister in New Taipei City

garbage truck and gas canisters composite image
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Two men working on a garbage truck in New Taipei City were injured when a gas cylinder tossed out with general trash exploded in the back of the truck this afternoon. New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report of an explosion and fire in the back of a garbage truck on Yongfeng Road in Tucheng District at around 3:00 pm. According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the two workers, named Lin and Yang, helped a resident

Read more