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.
- 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."
- The signal involves distressed people tucking their thumb into their palm before closing their fingers over it.
- Following up on the tip, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office pulled over the driver of the car and arrested him 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.
Editor's note: This was updated to include a description of the hand signal.