SINGAPORE — A display of selflessness from a man who stood out from the crowd by rushing to assist an elderly woman having difficulty crossing the road has received an outpouring of praise from netizens. 

A TikTok video posted by user “simaleilei” on Saturday (Oct 21) shows a hunched-over elderly woman with a walking aid pushing a grocery shopping cart laden with plastic bags, attempting to cross a pedestrian crossing at Toh Guan Road. 

With just 15 seconds left on the "green man" traffic light indicator, the woman had not even made it through a quarter of the crossing. 

With the timer ticking down, nine other pedestrians pass by without paying heed to her impending plight.

Just as the signal changes to the "red man", a man rushes over from the sidewalk to help the elderly woman, holding out his hand to stop traffic.

The good Samaritan then assists the woman with her encumbering shopping cart, holding her hand to guide her across the road. 

As they arrive at the middle of the crossing, however, cars and buses continue driving by, some coming dangerously close, with one car even honking at them, leaving the pair momentarily stuck.

The video ends with the two just a few steps shy of making it to the end of the crossing. 

The video quickly went viral, attracting more than 445,900 views, 15,500 likes and 656 comments as of Monday (Oct 23) afternoon, with many praising the man for his act of kindness.

One TikTok user wrote: “Thumbs up for the kind-hearted man! Remember (that) one day we will all grow old.”

“Actions speak louder than words! Very thoughtful gentleman and a word of thanks wherever you are,” wrote another. 

Others chose to chastise the other pedestrians who seemed to ignore the elderly woman's predicament. 

One user, whose comment received more than 1,782 likes, wrote: “Kudos to that one gentleman that helped. Why are the rest not helping?”

Another generalised: “Sums up our world. Everyone only cares about themselves but only a few people like this gentleman will help those in need.”

Many users were also incensed by the disregard for the pair’s situation from drivers, particularly highlighting the driver who had honked. 

“Help la. Only know how to honk. Good job. Thank you to this kind-hearted man,” wrote one user, punctuating their comment with several thumbs-ups. 

Another responded to a comment deriding the honking driver, writing: “Agree, there are so many impatient drivers. Wait for a few seconds also cannot. They got a car to move around fast but can't tolerate waiting for few seconds.”