WATCH: Cheryl Treadway describes being held hostage by her knife-wielding boyfriend and her use of a Pizza Hut ordering app to summon rescuers. Rod Carter reports.
AVON PARK, Fla. – A Florida woman who says her boyfriend was holding her and her children hostage sent a secret message asking for help in an online pizza order.
Highlands County Investigators told WFLA-TV a Pizza Hut in Avon Park received an online order for pizza Monday afternoon from Cheryl Treadway. Under the comments section, Treadway wrote a message asking employees to call police. The employees alerted police.
“He thought I was ordering just a regular pepperoni pizza,” Treadway told NBC affiliate WFLA. “I added the few extra words and just hoped and prayed it was going to happen, and it did.”
WATCH: A Florida woman’s clever thinking may have saved her life. She and her three children were being held hostage by her knife-wielding boyfriend Monday. In the end, a pizza of all things ended the ordeal. Don Champion explains.
When police arrived at the home, Treadway answered the door and said her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson had a knife. Police escorted Treadway and a child to safety and Highlands County Sherriff’s Lt. Curtis Ludden says Nickerson was arrested. Two other children in the home were unharmed.
“There’s hope, there’s hope. Even if you don’t think you have anybody, somebody out there will want to help you,” said Treadway. “You are worth it.”
Police say Nickerson had been holding Treadway all day until she convinced him to let her order a pizza on her phone.
Nickerson was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill, battery, false imprisonment and obstructing justice by depriving communication to law enforcement.
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