Call it information security of a different sort: A quick-thinking woman alerted police to a hostage situation by making use of an online pizza ordering app.
Cheryl Treadway and her young children were being held at knifepoint by her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson, police said, when she had the ingenious idea to appeal to his humanity: apparently, even hostage-takers need to eat.
The Highlands County, FL resident submitted an order to Pizza Hut for a small hand-tossed classic pizza with pepperoni. She’s a frequent customer, and employees noticed that there was something different about the order this time. In the comments section, there was a message asking them to send help and call 911 as the customer was being held hostage.
The pizza-makers duly called the Highlands County Sheriff's Office to investigate the situation.
“We’ve never seen that before,” the restaurant's manager, Candy Hamilton, told the local news. “I've been here 28 years and never, never seen nothing like that come through.”
Deputies responded to the Pizza Hut delivery location and were able to escort the victims to safety. It just goes to show, a slice of safety can come from the strangest places.