Missing Teen Was Not Rescued By TikTok Hand Signal Despite Early Reports

Contrary to popular belief, the man who assisted in the rescue of a teenage girl has clarified that he was not alerted by a viral TikTok hand signal.

On Tuesday, David Isaacs cleared the air, saying he didn’t know of the widespread distress hand gesture. Instead, he says he witnessed the 16-year-old girl mouth “help me” as he rode past the silver Toyota that she was riding in, prompting him to phone the cops. Initial reports said that Issacs reported seeing the girl perform a hand sign that he’d seen on TikTok, but he maintains that is not what happened.

Authorities were able to identify the girl as being from Asheville, North Carolina, and confirmed she was reported missing by her parents on November 2nd. Thankfully, she was rescued on November 4th in Kentucky, and police arrested 61-year-old James Herbert Brick the same day, charging him with unlawful imprisonment and possession of content showing sexual activity by a minor.

The hand signal that sparked the rumors was widespread on TikTok last year. It was promoted heavily by the domestic violence charity, Canadian Women’s Foundation, as a part of their “Signal for Help” campaign launched in April 2020 as a way for women to ask for help when they are in violent situations.