TikTok may not be everyone’s “cup-of-tea”, so to speak. However, the social media outlet is wildly popular with the younger generation. In fact, a secret signal spread around TikTok helped a young girl in distress get rescued by law enforcement.
The signal the girl used is a staple among TikTok users. It takes your four fingers and points them up. With your thumb tucked against your palm, you fold your fingers down to trap your thumb. This indicates that you are trapped, or under distress.
In this instance, it worked. The girl made the sign visible to a passing motorist from within the car in which she was being abducted. The driver of the passing car called 911. The hand signal is meant to alert others that domestic violence is happening, and the person needs help.
The other motorist kept following the car and supplying law enforcement with location updates. Police officers intercepted the vehicle at an exit and pulled it over. What they found was a 16-year-old Asheville, North Carolina girl who had been reported missing.
The driver of the car was arrested. He was a 61-year-old male, James Herbert Brick. Brick had material on his cell phone portraying the girl in a sexually compromising fashion. The man was charged with unlawful imprisonment and possession of matter sex performance by a minor.
Not everything spewed across social media outlets is good. However, some things obviously can save lives. This TikTok distress signal is one of those good things. The hand signal was the brainchild of the Canadian Women's Foundation roughly a year ago.
Since then, the “Signal for Help” campaign has gone viral across TikTok. It was astonishing that both the young lady and the passing motorist each knew of the sign’s meaning. The “Signal for Help” saved one young teenager, and hopefully will help put a pervert behind bars.
