On April 9, Shanghai’s Yangpu District’s court sentenced a man to 8 months in prison for throwing garbage out of his third-floor apartment window, injuring a person who was passing by. The court also ordered the man to pay a 5000 yuan ($760) fine.
On February 10 of 2021, a man by the name of Yu (於) threw a plastic garbage bag out of the kitchen window of his apartment on the third floor. The trash bag, which also contained broken cups, hit a woman who was passing by below, causing injury to her head. The incident was captured by neighborhood security cameras.
Mr. Yu allegedly was not aware that someone was walking below his apartment building when he threw out the trash.
The man was sentenced for “dropping objects from a high altitude” (高空抛物), which is included in the criminal law. This was the first court case in which a person was sentenced according to this law, which formally went into effect on March 1st of 2021.
To illustrate the dangers of throwing trash or other items from a high altitude, Party newspaper People’s Daily issued an image on social media that showed that even a mahjong tile could cause serious injury when thrown from a 20th-floor window.
On social media site Weibo, the case has become a hot topic. Many netizens support the court’s decision, claiming that throwing trash out of a window is as serious as drunk driving. Some people also suggest that despite the potential injury that could be caused by tossing out items from a high altitude, it is also morally wrong to do so.
The issue of throwing trash from windows and high altitudes is receiving more attention recently, with some neighborhood service announcements also warning people about the dangers.
Image via Dushi Kuaibao.
“A person who disregards the safety of others in such a way needs to be severely punished,” one commenter wrote.
By Manya Koetse
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