A 16-year-old girl from North Carolina was rescued after using a hand signal that she learned on social media. The police have not yet identified the victim, but said she is a minor that was reported missing by her parents two days prior.
The hand signal was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation and demonstrated on the popular social media app TikTok as a tool to tell others they are in trouble and to ask for help without alerting the abuser.
The signal was popularized in 2020 because women’s organizations were concerned about women being stuck at home with their abusers. The Canadian Women’s Foundation felt that social isolation would make it more difficult for victims of abuse to ask for help. They believed that because so many people were quarantined with others, it was crucial to have a signal that victims could use during that time. The signal was created so that it could be presented on a call without leaving a digital trace; it is done by putting one’s palm up, tucking the thumb in and then trapping the thumb with the other four fingers.
The passenger appeared to be doing the signal to passing cars on a Kentucky interstate. The signal came off to many people, including the abuser, as just a wave. However, one person in a passing car recognized the hand movement from TikTok and knew it was not an ordinary wave. The driver immediately called 911 and told the police that they suspected the passenger was in trouble.
The driver that reported the signal continued following the car and updating the dispatcher until the police could arrive on the scene. Several police vehicles “boxed the car in” so it could not escape. When the vehicle was pulled over, the victim began doing the hand gesture to the police, which they did not understand at the time. After investigating the scene, police soon learned that the passenger had been reported missing and arrested the driver.
Police arrested James Herbert Brick, a 61-year-old man, for unlawful imprisonment. He was also charged with possession of child pornography after finding images that portrayed a young female in a sexual manner on his phone.
The girl and Brick knew each other, but were not related. She originally went with Brick willingly, but at some point, got scared and was searching for a way out. She claimed that she had traveled with Brick through four states to visit his family, but that he left his family after they learned she was a minor that had been reported missing.
Cops say that if anyone sees the hand signal in a vehicle, they should write down a description of the passengers in the vehicle, description of the automobile and license plate, as well as direction of travel. The Canadian Women’s Foundation advises that if you see someone use the signal in person or on camera, to check in with them safely if you can, instead of immediately calling the authorities.
The Signal for Help is continuing to spread across police departments and social media. As it becomes more widely-known, it might just save more lives.
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