Missing teen rescued after using hand gesture from TikTok

• 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.