How a pizza app saved the life of a savvy mother of three

The top hostage survival tactics – remain calm, alert and… download a Pizza app? Miracles do happen – however it’s the quick thinking and strong will to survive that allowed these witty hostages to share the following escape stories with the world:
1. Airplane passengers get their justice on a hijacker
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” – Truer words have never been spoken, however, along with the entire French vocabulary these are words that never reached the ears of this foolish hijacker. Wielding two handguns, the lone gunman attempted to hijack the Air Mauritania Boeing 737 whilst on a path to the Canary Islands, on the 15th of February 2007. However, the plane, with its 71 passengers and crew of 8, landed safely thanks to the quick-thinking actions of the pilot. The hijacker, later identified as 32-year-old Mauritian, Mohamed Abderraman, demanded the pilot fly to France where he planned to request political asylum.
Whilst trying to explain that the plane would need to refuel in order to meet this request, the pilot quickly realized that the hijacker didn’t speak a word of French. Using Abderraman’s weakness to his advantage, the pilot used the address system and, in French, informed passengers of his ploy to follow. Having first advised all women and children to retreat to the back of the plane, the pilot made a rough landing – braking and then suddenly speeding up again – causing the hijacker to lose balance and drop his guns. At this point, 10 of the passengers stormed the cockpit and overpowered the hijacker, beating him up before handing him over to Spanish authorities.
2. Hero bus driver saves the lives of 26 kidnapped children
You’ve heard of mothers lifting cars off of their trapped children, but have you heard of a bus driver lifting hundred-pound car batteries to save 26 children? Well, that’s exactly what bus driver Ed Ray did following a mass kidnapping in California. On the 15th of July 1976, traveling along a dusty road, the bus was stopped by kidnappers who forced the children and Ray into a partly buried trailer, the roof of which was weighed down by hundred-pound batteries.
In this case, the hijackers had planned their kidnapping well and had prepped the buried van with mattresses, toilet paper and all other essentials necessary to keep the victims alive whilst they waited on their ransom money. Having stacked 14 of the mattresses, with the help of some of the bigger children, Ray managed to reach an opening at the top of the van. With sheer force, he managed to lift off the batteries whilst balancing on an unstable tower of mattresses. After several hours underground, they emerged safely and Ray was deservedly deemed a hero.
3. Hostage escapes – dragging a bed behind him
It’s the classic action-thriller plot, the brother of a wealthy diplomat is kidnapped and so ensues the dramatic negotiation for the victim’s return. Only this was the real deal and Jason Statham wasn’t coming to the rescue. Mohammed Sadiq al-Tajir, the brother of a wealthy Arab ambassador was taken whilst walking to his home in London, on the 6th of January 1986. Kidnapped by a gang of four men, Al-Tajir was chained to a bed in a windowless room. After 10 days of being drugged and blindfolded, he woke up to a note saying ″You are going to be released. Stay very quiet. Don’t shout for help. When the time comes, you will be released. If you shout for help, you will be dead.″
After several hours of obeying the kidnappers’ demands, lying in complete silence, Al-Tajir was fed up with the situation. Completely ignoring the kidnappers’ orders to remain quiet, he got up and walked out of the room, out of the house and down the streets of South London – dragging the bed behind him. After seeking help, Al-Tajir discovered that his brother had spent the past week negotiating the ransom down from $71. 5 million to $3 million, which he’d paid to them the day before Al-Tajir’s escape. So it may not be the plot of a blockbuster movie – but there was a happy ending.
4. Savvy woman uses pizza app to escape a hostage situation
One Pepperoni pizza and a side of police. In her whole 28 years of working at the Pizza Hut, store manager Candy Hamilton had never seen anything like this. An order for one large classic Pepperoni pizza, made via the Pizza Hut app, along with a secret message – “Please help. Get 911 to me. 911 hostage help!” Cheryl Treadway and her three children were being held captive by her abusive, knife-wielding boyfriend.
Earlier in the day, Treadway and her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson, had taken her phone away and threatened her with a knife. She managed to convince Nickerson to return her phone so that she could order pizza and the savvy mother of three was able to send the message for help. The police were sent to the property and Nickerson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill, battery, false imprisonment and obstructing justice by depriving communication to law enforcement.
Even though these real life heroic stories are awe inspiring, we hope you never find yourself in a situation where you would have to resort to the same to fight for your life.