Photo: Laurel County Sheriff’s Office
A missing 16-year-old girl from North Carolina girl was rescued thanks to S.O.S. hand gestures she learned onTikTok, authorities say.
On Thursday, 61-year-old James Brick was arrested after someone driving behind him called 911 after observing a girl inside his vehicle “making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform TikTok to represent violence at home — ‘I need help’ — domestic violence,” the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said in apress release.
The person who called 911 said she “appeared to be in distress,” authorities added, and they continued following Brick’s car while giving updates.
Canadianwomen.org/Signal For Help
“The female juvenile told Sheriff’s investigators that she had gotten with the male subject and traveled through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and into Ohio where the accused had relatives,” the sheriff’s department said. “When the male subject’s relatives realized that the female in his custody was underage and reported missing, the accused left Ohio traveling southbound and the female juvenile then began attempting to get motorists attention to call 911.”
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It was not immediately clear if Brick has an attorney for PEOPLE to reach for comment.
Responding to a rise in cases of at-home domestic violence during the pandemic lockdowns, the Women’s Funding Networklaunched a campaignlast year called “Signal for Help” where they raised awareness about the distress hand gestures for victims to use for assistance.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
