HE LOVED motorbikes and had been riding one since his polytechnic days.
He used to take pictures of the different motorbikes he owned and post them on his Facebook page.
Mr Ang Chee Peng, 26, was doing what he loved most on Thursday night.
He was riding along Upper East Coast Road when he was involved in an accident with a car.
The driver of the car was making a U-turn towards East Coast Road to pick up his wife and daughter at a bus stop at the time, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Mr Ang was flung from his sports motorbike and ended up pinned under the car.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call at 8.38pm and dispatched two fire engines, two fire bikes, an ambulance and two support vehicles to the scene.
When the SCDF officers arrived, Mr Ang, who had serious injuries, no longer had a pulse, the report said.
He was still trapped under the car when paramedics pronounced him dead around 9.30pm.
Some 20 officers took about an hour to extract the body from under the car. They used two airbags and a hydraulic spreader to lift the car to gain access to the body.
The driver of the car, who is in his early 50s, has been arrested for causing death by a rash act and is out on bail.
Mr Ang's motorbike skidded 50m from the accident site. His sports shoes were found 100m away, reported Shin Min Daily News.
One of the headlights of the car fell off and part of the car's body was damaged, the report said.
IN SHOCK
The driver, his wife and his daughter were seen standing by the roadside looking troubled and in shock.
According to the Chinese daily, the driver said he has high blood pressure.
His wife was heard crying and telling her daughter repeatedly: "I've caused trouble to your father. I shouldn't have asked him to come to pick us up."
When The New Paper went to Mr Ang's wake at Marine Terrace yesterday evening, members of his family were teary-eyed.
His mother, clad in a white top and black pants, was heard crying mournfully near his coffin. When approached, they declined to be interviewed.
A relative, who did not want to be identified, said Mr Ang was single.
His friends, some dressed in black, were seen arriving in different groups throughout the evening.
Some of them had studied with him at Temasek Polytechnic. They described him as someone who was "laid-back, outgoing and friendly".
One of them, who wanted to be known only as Jonathan, 25, said: "We've never seen him get angry. He's a good-natured and helpful person."
Mr Ang majored in Internet Computing at Temasek Polytechnic and later worked in the information technology (IT) industry.
A coursemate, Mr Rustin Neo, 25, an IT trainer, said that Mr Ang was a year older than them and the only one with his own transport.
Mr Neo said: "He changed his motorbike quite often."
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(From left) SCDF personnel extracting Mr Ang Chee Peng's body from under the car. Undertakers removing Mr Ang's body.
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When asked how Mr Ang acquired his bikes, he said: "He's the kind who would save up and won't ask parents for money."
During their polytechnic days, they used to play online games together, said Mr Neo.
"We didn't go out riding as I'm not a motorbike lover."
Mr Ang might have made other friends after they graduated in 2006, Mr Neo said.
"After graduation, we went our separate ways and we seldom met up. We knew about his passing today via an SMS.
"His brother went through his handphone and sent SMSes to all his friends on his phonebook. Among us, we spread the news around," he added.
When asked what Mr Ang was like as a rider, Mr Neo hesitated before replying: "He put on his helmet and rode like most riders.
"He looked like he was a careful rider."
Mr Ang's mother was overheard saying in Mandarin to his polytechnic friends who asked how she was coping: "I won't be okay. He's still my flesh."
She then advised them: "Before you do anything, you must consider your parents."
Mr Ang lived with his parents, elder brother and younger sister in a Marine Terrace flat. They have been living there for the past two years.
His parents have a stall at a nearby market and they always reminded Mr Ang to ride safely, Shin Min reported.
Police investigations are continuing.
