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Woman Alerts Police of Hostage Situation Through Pizza Hut App
mpicpp writes with this ABC News story about how a Pizza Hut app may have saved a woman's life. "A Florida mother held hostage by her boyfriend used the Pizza Hut app to notify police she needed help, authorities said. Cheryl Treadway, 25, was allegedly being held at knife point in her home by Ethan Nickerson, 26, in Avon Park on Monday, the Highlands County Sheriff's Office told ABC News today. 'She was held hostage by him all day,' Public Information Officer Nell Hays said. Nickerson took away Treadway's phone, police said, but she was eventually able to persuade him to let her order a pizza using her Pizza Hut app. 'She told him, "The kids are hungry. Let's order a pizza. Let's get them some food,"' Hays said, noting that's when Treadway was able to sneak in a written message through the delivery. Along with her order of a small, classic pepperoni pizza, she wrote: 'Please help. Get 911 to me,' according to police. She also wrote: '911hostage help!'"
I'd like to order a cheese pizza with police department, fire department, and an ambulance.
Never trust a bunny
Remember, if the person holding you hostage is over your shoulder looking at the screen while you order, you can still call for help - just order the pizza with extra anchovies! You will either get the police, or at least Patrick Dempsey!
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
swatting through pizzahut...
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
She kept her head under extremely stressful and frightening circumstances, and thought of a clever way to notify the authorities. Good for her!
#DeleteChrome
It was Pizza Hut, at least you tried...
"Finally, Domino's delivered something healthy.".. someone else's pizza!
Thank you! Thank you! Enjoy the buffet, tip your waiter and/or waitress!
This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
...as she demonstrated terrible choices in men AND pizza.
Now if the local Donut Shop had an app, the response would have been quicker...
Also known as steganography.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
If I was the manager of that Pizza Hut, I'd give her a month of free pizza... Why? Because that woman went through hell and it would be a very small token of humanity to remind her that good people exist.
I think you're described an ad from this year's Super Bowl, although it may have been based on a real incident.
manager: Holy cow, cancel that last order! the woman ordering says we need to send 911 immediately. there seems to be some kind of emergency.
cook: she probably ordered the barbecue pizza. people usually want an ambulance after eating that.
manager: no she says shes being held hostage!
cook: must be the honey sriracha pizza then. people usually describe that one as a demanding, life threatening experience.
Good people go to bed earlier.
From what I understand, Pizza Hut will charge more for extra coppings.
"Finally, Domino's delivered something healthy.".. someone else's pizza!
Thank you! Thank you! Enjoy the buffet, tip your waiter and/or waitress!
The indigestion will be with you all week...
Nope, it was on the news within the last month.
Maybe legendary news on this site?
If you work in an emergency call centre, most of the calls you get will be genuine emergencies. Though you might get the odd crank, when they start continuing on but acknowledging you ("Ma'am, this is an emergency line", "Yes, please", "Ma'am, we're not a pizza delivery", "No, no anchovies, thanks my husband hates them", "Ma'am, do you have an emergency?", "Yes, how long will it be?" etc.) it doesn't take a genius to work out what's happening.
Sure, you still get drunks, timewasters, etc. but if you even think for a second that there is a problem, you send out units anyway, even if just to avoid a repeat incident.
People are inherently skilled in conveying meaning without saying those particular words. It's a fabulous human skill. Even more fabulous when you can do it without alerting someone else listening in to one half of the conversation as to what's happening.
I have to say, one of the things I've always tried to pre-arrange is the "I'm in trouble call". If you call and use a certain keyword, that's me coming running. If you call and I ask if you're okay and you say "No, dur, I'm being taken hostage", then you're probably fine. If I say "Honestly, are you okay?" and you say "Yes, I'm fine", that's my cue to come running.
Pre-arrange such things with your family. Get a keyword between you. Or a private joke that you can deliberately ruin when you're actually in trouble. Something that others won't notice. Because the guy kidnapping your daughter might actually be that boyfriend she trusted and knows her well and that she has to phone daddy every Monday or he'll get suspicious, so he lets her but listens in. She might need that way to make herself known without anyone else noticing.
I know news has gotten pretty bad, but mistaking a super bowl commercial... Ok, I can see that.
Brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
I used to live smack bang on the delivery border of my local pizza delivery. I lived above a shop opposite the railway bridge, and they would never deliver past the railway bridge.
When you told them the road name, they asked if you were past the railway bridge or not. Say yes, you get no pizza. Seriously. And there was no other takeaway that would deliver to you in the area. Say no, however, and they come and deliver no questions asked even if the driver rings to ask where you are.
One time the driver turned out to be an old guy who'd lived in the same house previously and had the same problems. He never ratted us out, though.
Short-sighted business practice, as it was literally 20 feet or so difference and they had no competitors in that area.
This ad? From the No More Campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I wonder if watching this superbowl ad saved this lady's life?
Had relatives that lived just outside of delivery range. They used to have the pizza delivered to their car which was parked inside delivery range. They would just go sit in their car and wait for their pizza to show up. Always found that odd.
Wow, that field is more useful than I thought. All I ever did was ask them to draw a wizard on the box - they did.
You mean the boyfriend she trusted well enough to tell, "My dad is so lame! Not only does he make me call him once a week, he actually gave me a safeword. Can you believe it? I have to be super careful never to say the word 'trousers' or he'll go apeshit and turn into Liam Neeson." That trusted boyfriend? Good thinking.
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
Should have used Jimmy John's would have delivered much faster
True, but if anyone freaked it might have ended badly.
#DeleteChrome
There is no such thing as a Pizza Hut where the staff reads the stuff you write in the extra line.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Really. I mean super bowl commercials are SO much more honest - there's no threat of false advertising charges for the news.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
it doesn't take a genius to work out what's happening.
I'm not sure about the policies where you live, but where I live it's an offence to call emergency services with out a genuine emergency. Even if you prank call them you'll end up with a police car at your door if for nothing else than to hand you a fine.
Yeah, add obesity to her list of problems, way to help her out.
Only I can judge you.
Answered "Yes" to the question "Do you want anchovies on that meat lovers special?"
There's gotta be something wrong! Send the SWAT team!
Have gnu, will travel.
That's his point. He was providing an example of a hostage situation where someone can't answer the emergency operator directly, so they continue on as if they're having a normal conversation when really they aren't.
Nope. No territory concerns - there were no cooperating franchise with territory on the other side of the line this time.
It is just management being stupid - trying to keep things simpler than they really are. You set a delivery limit so your car(s) can come back in reasonable time to make more deliveries. At times with little business, you obviously let them go beyond the limit. Better with a long delivery trip than none at all.
Usually, a hard limit isn't necessary. Pay the driver per delivery and this takes care of itself. Another option is to deliver anywhere, but with extra cost outside the limit. Customers pay the true cost, or look harder for a closer competitor.
It would actually be interesting to know whether or not the pizza was delivered and, if so, who by. I imagine that Pizza Hut would be reluctant to send someone into a potentially dangerous situation, so it probably wasn't delivered, but you never know.
Yes, that is clearly the most interesting thing about this story.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Pre-arrange such things with your family. Get a keyword between you. Or a private joke that you can deliberately ruin when you're actually in trouble. Something that others won't notice. Because the guy kidnapping your daughter might actually be that boyfriend she trusted and knows her well and that she has to phone daddy every Monday or he'll get suspicious, so he lets her but listens in. She might need that way to make herself known without anyone else noticing.
Or, more simply, never let any of your family leave the house without an armed escort. Or just never leave the house at all. (You can always order in pizza).
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it