KUALA LUMPUR: Riding shotgun took on a different meaning when a woman found a monkey riding on the hood of her car.
The monkey seemed to have "hitched a ride" for a good 20km before being "dropped off" at a fire station.
A viral video on TikTok shows the monkey adjusting itself as it leans on the windscreen while the car drives at a slow pace.
Many netizens commented on how it seemed calm on the car despite being surrounded by other vehicles.
One netizen who goes by @cameliaa said it was hitching a ride back to its kampung.
Another who goes by @selvaraj said he hoped the monkey was returned to the original area as they usually live in troops.
It was reported by Sinar Harian on Friday (March 28) that Salamiah Mupit, 52, was on her way home from work in Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur, with a colleague when the incident occurred.
She said that the incident took place on Tuesday (March 25) at around 4pm.
"I saw the monkey climb onto the roof of my car as I was about to exit the intersection near my office.
“At first I thought it had gotten off the car, but after a few minutes a motorcyclist signaled that there was something on my car.
"I immediately looked at the back of my car and was surprised to see the monkey still on the car boot.
"Then after a while, the monkey sat on the front bonnet.
"A few passing motorcyclists attempted to chase it away but to no avail," she told the news portal.
Salamiah, said that as the monkey was on her car, she had to drive slowly, causing several other cars to honk at her.
"I was worried that the monkey might jump and hurt itself, so driving slowly was a safer option.
“I was panicking but I was driving at a speed of around 60km to 80km (per hour) to avoid it falling or suddenly getting of in traffic.
"At the speed I was driving, if it did jump off, it would be quite safe because I was driving slowly," she said.
Salamiah said it worked out well as her route home does pass a Fire and Rescue station.
"We were going to pass a fire station about 20km away, and it took an hour to arrive.
"We went straight to the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Fire and Rescue Station where the firemen were quick to help us," she said.
Commenting on the incident that went viral on social media, Salamiah admitted that she did not expect the incident to attract that much attention.
"I did notice other road users taking videos of the incident.
"I would like to apologise to other drivers if what I did was considered dangerous.
"There was no intention to hurt the monkey.
"I just wanted to make sure it was safe," said Salamiah.
She said the monkey showed no signs of fear and appeared 'relaxed', enjoying the ride while looking left and right.
"Maybe the monkey enjoyed the ride, or maybe it was scared because the monkey urinated on my car," she said.
