Woman uses discreet hand signal she learned from TikTok to escape ex-boyfriend

A woman who used a discreet hand signal to ask for help after she was allegedly kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend has credited TikTok for helping save her life.

The US woman had been reportedly abducted by her ex-partner Jonathon Smith and was being driven in his truck when the pair stopped at a petrol station in Tennessee.

While in the store, the woman alerted the cashier that she needed help putting her palm forward and tucking her thumb in, before closing her four fingers over to make a fist – a gesture which means you are danger, The Tennessean reports.

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The cashier then repeated the hand signal back to the woman and she nodded in confirmation, before staff then called 911.

Sheriff's Officer Lt. Mike Doddo said the victim learned the hand signal from TikTok.

Staff pretended there was something wrong with the register while they waited for authorities to arrive, before Smith allegedly caught on and brought his victim back to the truck.

Officers pursued Smith as he left the petrol station and he was captured after a 15-minute pursuit.

"[Smith] threatened to kill her by grabbing a screwdriver and telling her, if he couldn't have her, nobody could have her," Doddo told the publication.

The woman was not hurt, officers said. Smith was later arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault.

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The hand gesture was also used successfully in November 2021 when a 16-year-old girl from Kentucky alerted drivers on a highway she was in danger by signalling out the back window.

Safety and self-defence advocate and former police officer Nichelle Laus described the hand gesture on her TikTok in July last year, telling followers if they see this hand signal they "need to get help immediately".

"Open hand, thumb across your palm and four fingers closed into a fist. It may not be as blatant as this, it may be done very discreetly, but if you see this, it is a sign for help," she explained.