A girl reported missing from Asheville, N.C., and in distress in the passenger seat of a car traveling through Kentucky appeared to be waving through the window to passing cars on Thursday.
But one person in a nearby car recognized the signal from TikTok, and knew it was no ordinary wave.
The girl, 16, was using a new distress signal, tucking her thumb into her palm before closing her fingers over it, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. The signal, created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation for people to indicate that they are at risk of abuse and need help, has spread largely through TikTok in the past year.
The person who spotted the signal called 911 and conveyed a suspicion that the girl was in trouble because she was using the hand gesture. Though the dispatcher and officers were unfamiliar with the signal, sheriff’s deputies pulled the car over to investigate, and learned that the girl’s parents had reported her missing two days earlier.
Investigators believe Mr. Brick thought she was simply waving at other cars and didn’t attempt to stop her, Officer Acciardo said. He praised the girl for using the gesture, which he said would be a useful tool for victims if it were universally known.
“This is probably the best thing I’ve seen come along in the 48 years I’ve been a patrol officer,” he said.
-New York Times
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