Kidnapped North Carolina teen rescued in Kentucky thanks to viral TikTok distress signal
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WLS) — A 16-year-old kidnapping victim was rescued thanks to a Good Samaritan who recognized her distress signal.
She used a hand gesture made popular on TikTok. The gesture is used when someone slowly curls their fingers around their thumb. It is meant to alert people of domestic abuse.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation created the signal in response to a surge in domestic violence.
A driver noticed the passenger in another car was making the signal on a highway in Kentucky.
He called 911 and gave the dispatcher mile marker updates as he followed the car.
The sheriff’s department set up a road block and arrested James Brick. The 61-year-old took the girl from her home in North Carolina to Ohio, where his family lives.
The teenage girl is being reunited with her family in North Carolina, police said.
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Source: ABC7