A Tennessee woman kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend is rescued by cops after “using a secret TikTok hand signal to warn a store employee that she was in trouble”
- Hickman County woman visits her brother when her ex-boyfriend picks her up in his truck and gets into a physical confrontation with her
- While driving on the highway, 31-year-old Jonathan Smith threatened the victim and refused to let her go.
- The victim was taken to the Twice Daily gas station and while inside, she put her thumb in her hand with four fingers above it, showing it to the gas station employee.
- The hand signal, resembling a clenched fist, is demonstrated in many TikTok accounts and is designed to show that the whistleblower is suffering from domestic violence
- Hickman County Sheriff’s Office stopped at a gas station and a 15-minute chase began before Smith’s truck crashed into a creek
- Police charge 31-year-old man with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic violence
By Gina Martinez for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 19:22, 14 April 2022 | Updated: 23:35, 14 April 2022
Deputies managed to save a kidnapped woman from Tennessee after she reportedly used a secret hand signal from TikTok to warn a gas station employee that she was in trouble.
An unidentified woman from Hickman County was visiting her brother when her ex-boyfriend Jonathan Smith, 31, picked her up in his truck and they “got into a physical confrontation,” Lt. Mike Dodo of the county sheriff’s office told The Tennessean.
While driving on the highway, Smith threatened the victim and refused to let her go, police said.
“Then the friend asked to be released. He said, “No,” Dodo said. “(Smith) then threatened to kill her by grabbing a screwdriver and telling her that if he couldn’t have her, no one could have her.”
Smith drove the victim to the Twice Daily gas station and the two went inside.
While there, the woman put her thumb in her hand with four fingers above it and gestured with her hand to the gas station employee, Dodo said.
The hand signal, resembling a clenched fist, is demonstrated in many TikTok accounts and is intended to show others that the whistleblower is suffering from domestic violence.
Jonathan Smith, 31, pictured, accused of aggravated kidnapping and aggravating domestic violence
After a chase with the Hickman County Sheriff, Smith’s truck crashed into a creek
Smith escaped on foot before being captured shortly afterwards
The hand signal, resembling a clenched fist, is demonstrated in many TikTok accounts and is designed to show that the whistleblower is suffering from domestic violence
The officer took the signal and called police and tried to delay the time as they left, but Smith found out what was happening and left the gas station with the victim, police said.
As Smith left, the Hickman County Sheriff stopped at a gas station and was chased for 15 minutes before Smith’s truck crashed into a creek.
After the crash, Smith escaped on foot, but was tased and captured.
Police have charged a 31-year-old man with aggravated kidnapping and domestic violence.
The victim was not injured in the crash, police said.
While the victim was rescued by hand signal, she also signaled that she was in trouble by saying “help” to Eric Strival, who is part of a motorcycle group that helps women in situations of domestic violence – and who just turned out to be a customer at the gas station.
“If you see something, say something,” Strieval told Fox 56. “Domestic violence is a bad thing here in Tennessee.”
“Victims are often afraid to speak. And I attribute to the young lady in this situation that she had the most courage in the world to actually speak, because who knows what would happen.
After the crash, Smith escaped on foot, but was caught and captured
While the victim was rescued by hand signal, she also signaled that she was in trouble by saying the words “help” to Eric Strival (pictured)
Since then, Streeval has approached the victim on social media and offered her advice and local resources.
“I would just tell her to rely on the family if she has a family, or if she finds a complete stranger,” he said.
“If someone wants to listen, talk to them. Do not think that everything is gathered inside. Turn to someone and just believe in the good in someone.
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