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iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature helped save a woman from sexual assault

by MyParisTexas
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News is spreading of a Virginia woman who says without her iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature; she may not have survived an assault.

The woman who does not want to be identified said she was about to go home early Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va. when a seemingly friendly stranger asked her to help him find his lost phone. She was unaware this was a trap by the man at the time. 

“I was like, ‘Where are your friends? Why are you alone?’ He was like, ‘I’m in the military. I’m not from here.’ My brother is in the military. I felt bad for him,” the woman said according to multiple reports.

It’s believed the had stranger lured her back to the boardwalk at the Oceanfront and onto the sand where nobody was around. She allowed him to use the “Find My iPhone” app on her phone, but it wasn’t working. From that point forward, the woman began to feel suspicious of his intentions. 

“I get my phone back, and I turn around and try to run away. He comes up from behind me, tackles me, grabs my face, is covering my mouth,” she said.

The woman was then in the middle of an attack; she was able to make a life-saving call without her attacker knowing. She used her iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature, and the phone automatically dialed 911.

Dispatch was then able to notify the police of the attack that it was near the water and sent them to the phone’s location, ending her nightmare.

“He looked up, and the headlights from the police were shining on the sand. He just took off and ran down the beach,” the woman recounted.

Police eventually caught the attacker, who is now being held without bond according to multiple reports.

The woman says she wants to warn others and help them be more prepared.

To activate the emergency SOS feature, an iPhone user can hold the power and volume button down at the same time or tap the power button five times. It only works if it has previously been turned on in the phone’s settings.

CLICK HERE to learn how to activate the SOS feature on your iPhone

For Lamar County residents as well, remember if you are unable to call for help, you can text 9-1-1 in an emergency situation

The original story and quotes are credited to (WTKR/CNN)

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