Squabbles with a landlord over rents due are thought to be behind an enraged tenant taking to throwing a large fridge freezer, together with other items, from a 23rd-floor-apartment window in Nanjing of late. The man faces jail time and a hefty fine.
The alarming and potentially-deadly incident took place around 21:00 on 28 April in the Qingze Garden Residential Community situated in southwest Nanjing, on Luotang Lu and Zhonghe Lu off the Nanjing Inner Ring and the Qinhuai River in Jianye District.
There, in the 34-floor-high-apartment block, the man was seen to throw many items from the window; pots, pans and bowls, in addition to the large fridge.
One media report on Baijiahao also suggests that a washing machine was among the items ejected from such a height.
But wait, there’s more. Witnesses claim the fridge was accompanied by a cooker-range hood, suggesting the man essentially trashed the apartment in a rage.
That which set light to the man’s fuse is presumed to have been a disagreement with the property’s landlord over unpaid rent, and an attempt thereby to evict the tenant.
Neighbours quickly called law enforcement, after which officers came to Qingze Garden to detain the perpetrator. At this point, a crowd had gathered outside the apartment block in question. Thaiger reports that some of those present accused the man of attempted murder.
While no one was hurt in the incident, numerous e-bikes parked below were damaged or destroyed by the falling debris. Police have since registered the case as a criminal matter.
When contacted, the Nanjing Jianye District Public Security Bureau would not comment on the matter, while staff at the local Lianhua Police Station stated it is at this point inconvenient to provide a response.
It looks certain, however, that the fridge thrower faces jail time. Article 291-2 of China’s Criminal Law stipulates that those who throw objects from buildings, or other heights, can be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than 1 year.
Last November, the Xiuyu District People’s Court of Putian City in Fujian Province saw a similar case, sentencing the guilty party to 6 months in prison and a fine of ¥3,000.