a Kentucky The driver who helped save a 16-year-old girl kidnapped from a suspected pedophile’s car has revealed that he didn’t recognize her distressing hand gesture that he saw tick knock, contrary to the claim of a sheriff.
David Isaacs, 50, said he called 911 after seeing the kidnapped girl, who he said appeared distraught, repeatedly saying the words ‘help me’ as he crossed Interstate 75 last week. But it was. Being driven by James Brick in his Toyota Corolla.
‘I didn’t recognize a gesture,’ said Isaac of Berea, Kentucky. NBC News,’ she was saying “Help me.”
Isaac said, ‘He said twice, ‘Help me, help me’. ‘I think she even lip-synced to “Call 911” … it looked like she was crying.
James Brick, 61, was arrested in North Carolina for kidnapping a 16-year-old girl. A Driver Called 911 On The Interstate When Girl Saw A ‘Help Me’ Face, Not Because She Didn’t Signify The Tiktok-Famous Hand
Interstate 75. But seeing the girl in trouble in Brick’s car, David Isaacs called 911.
Isaac recalled that the teenager kept showing four fingers with her thumb against the window, but said she did not recognize it as a sign of domestic violence that has been popularized on TikTok.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement last week that the driver contacted officers after recognizing the signal and seeing that the teen was “in distress.”
As of Friday, the sheriff’s office has not commented on the apparent discrepancy between Isaac’s version of events and his earlier statement.
‘They are male heroes,’ Isaac said of the officers who answered his call and saved the girl. ‘I’m glad I could see it and made sure he got help. I think it was a happy ending.’
Brick, 61, was arrested on November 4 for kidnapping and possession of child pornography. He remained in prison at the Laurel County Correctional Center on $50,000 bail.
The girl who was rescued said she was abducted from her home in Asheville. North Carolina, and operated through his home state, ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.
His parents had informed him about his disappearance.
The hand gesture displayed by Kishor appeared on several TikTok accounts, including one set up by news site NowThis, in which a person raises their palm and presses their thumb, then lowers their fingers so that the thumb is on their side. Get ‘trapped’ inside. A sign resembling a clenched fist.
It is designed to show others that the signaler is suffering from domestic abuse.
Several people on TikTok have shared videos of him showing off his hand gestures to deal with domestic abuse. Teenager said she learned hints from this type of video
This graphic explains how the hand gesture used by the girl works
The Laurel Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post, “Investigation has revealed that the female passenger was a missing teenager – her parents reported her missing Tuesday morning from Asheville, North Carolina.” ‘An investigation through the NCIC confirmed that she was a missing person.’
The missing teen told police that she and Brick had gone to Ohio, where Brick’s family lived, but her family learned she was underage and that her parents had reported her missing.
He started giving hand signals that he learned on TikTok when they were on their way back to North Carolina on Interstate 75, where the drivers caught the attention of other drivers.
Officers immediately arrested Brick and received a phone call from him that ‘allegedly depicted a teenage woman sexually.’
It is not clear whether this is the same girl who was a teenager found in the car. Police also haven’t yet clarified whether Brick knew his alleged victim before the attack, and more details about how he took her.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into the incident is still ongoing.