Missing teen rescued after using distress hand gesture from TikTok

Yacob Reyes
·1 min read

A girl reported missing from North Carolina was rescued in Kentucky after she signaled for help with a hand gesture made popular on TikTok, law enforcement officials said.

Driving the news: The girl was reported missing by her parents last week, according to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky. A driver called the police after seeing a girl using a signal, popularized by TikTok, to indicate she needed help.

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  • The hand gesture was created by the Canadian Women's Foundation to help an individual "silently show they need help and want someone to check in with them in a safe way."

  • Following up on the tip, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office pulled over the driver of the car and arrested him on Thursday. He was charged with unlawful imprisonment.

What they're saying: "This is probably the best thing I've seen come along in the 48 years I've been a patrol officer," Gilbert Acciardo, public affairs officer for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, told the New York Times.

  • "It is a relief to hear that somebody was able to use the signal in a very dangerous situation," said Andrea Gunraj, the Canadian Women's Foundation's vice president of public engagement, per the Times.

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