More Than Meets The Eye
When she first noticed the strange mark on her car, she didn’t think much of it but when she asked around it became obvious that this was much more deadly than it seemed.
Now everything else made sense. She raced inside, locked the doors, and called 911. She told them everything that had been happening to her lately. The cop's voice was tight as he told her not to move.
Jade Jules
27-year-old Jade Jules returned to her house, exhausted after a long week of work. She was looking forward to a quiet Friday night in front of the TV before calling it a night.
Jade was a very independent woman and lived by herself in Newfoundland, Canada. But this particular weekend, she never wanted some company so much in her entire life.
A Low Profile
Despite working as a waitress and being surrounded by people all the time, Jade was actually an introvert. She wasn’t big on people and kept her circle of friends small.
She tried to keep a low profile and didn’t like to draw too much attention to herself but people tended to naturally gravitate towards her. Even the bad ones.
Strange Noise
Jade went to bed tired that night but just before she was about to doze off, she heard a strange noise outside. It sounded like it was coming from her front yard.
There was some rustling and then it stopped. She ignored it and quickly drifted to sleep. Blissfully unaware of what was happening outside her house.
The Symbol
The next morning she woke to a full trash can so she went outside to throw out the garbage but on her way she noticed something strange about her car.
On her car, written across the windscreen was the letters “1F”. At first, she thought nothing of it but it sank in that someone had trespassed on her property during the night.
Putting Two Together
Was that the noise she heard last night before she went to sleep?
She could have just dismissed the strange symbol as some kind of random teenage graffiti but it felt too intentional. Something told her that there was more to this symbol than meets the eye. And she was right. Something was definitely wrong.
From Bad To Worse
Immediately, she grabbed her phone, took a video, and uploaded it to TikTok. She asked if anyone knew what this symbol was or what it meant.
She anxiously waited for their response. When she finally got replies, their horrified reactions confirmed her suspicions. They told her to run, now.
Acting Fast
Jade’s body sprang into action. She ran back inside, locked the doors, and called the cops. She told them about the symbol and the trespassing. She told them what her friends said and asked them if it was true.
The cop's voice tightened as he told her to stay inside and lock her doors. They’d be over as soon as possible.
Footsteps
All Jade could do now was wait, but as soon as she hung up the phone she heard footsteps approaching her door. She was paralyzed with fear.
She grabbed her phone and slowly approached the front door, being careful not to make the slightest floor creak. Tentatively, she raised her head to look out the door’s peephole. Suddenly, she gasped.
Just In Time
Shaking, she opened the door and let her mother in. She completely forgot about their lunch date but she was relieved to see her. She locked the door behind her and told her what was happening.
When the cops arrived, they destroyed the symbol and told her to live somewhere else for a while. Was this symbol really that dangerous?
What Does It Mean?
In the now-viral Tik Tok video, Jade filmed herself walking down the steps of her home and pointing to the “1F” symbol. She then asked: “What... does this mean?”
The clip has been viewed 12.6 million times and has racked up more than 40,000 comments warning Jade to get away from the house. And what the symbol meant was terrifying.
The Truth
The cops told her that someone was targeting her. It didn’t make sense. Who would do that? But soon, everything would become crystal clear.
The cops continued to tell her that the noise she heard last night was most likely the culprit but what was more alarming was what the cop revealed to Jade next.
Gang Symbol
Whoever did this was planning it for weeks. The ‘1F’ symbol was a gang symbol used to mark houses to communicate that there was one female living there.
This meant that it was an easier target for robberies and other criminal acts. The cops advised Jade to live with her mom for a while and then improve security around her house.
Mom To The Rescue
She recalled her experience, “I was terrified – I thought someone did it as a joke or something but then all the messages came in so my mom came and got me. I packed some stuff and haven’t been home since”.
Luckily, Jade's mom was more than willing to have her daughter stay with her for a while, especially given the circumstances.
Feeling Grateful
“I’m not sure what kind of crime the symbol meant in my situation, but if all that is true, then I’m scared about what could have happened”, she said.
“I took out my phone, recorded it, and posted it on TikTok because I had zero clue on what it meant. I thought people on TikTok would know and help me, which they did. I'm very thankful for everyone who helped me.”
Be Safe
Jade did what was recommended to her by the cops and then bought some cameras and an alarm system and installed them around her house. She even adopted a dog for security!
“My followers definitely saved my life. I was going out to put the trash out and that's when I saw it,” Jade said in an interview.
A Scary Situation
The most frightening part of Jade’s ordeal was that the police couldn’t do much to help her.
“The police couldn't do anything because there were no suspects and I had no clue who or what it was. So they just wiped off the bin and told me to stay safe and if I can leave for a few days to do that, so that's what I did.”
Signs And Symbols
Since the incident, Jade’s neighborhood formed a watch committee and she hasn’t seen any more symbols outside her house after that frightful weekend.
There has been a lot of debate around the use of symbols that gangs use to target their victims. Warnings about the 'gang code' have continued to surface over the years.
What To Watch For
“We have actually seen and experienced these symbols being used by criminals,” security experts at The Safeguarding Hub said.
“This is not to say that this is a common practice between bands of thieves, for most burglars work alone.” There are many more secret signs that could all be an indication that you're being targeted...
Odd Road Markings
Have you ever seen unusual chalk markings on your home or on the pavement outside your house? Well, it could be the calling card of a dog thief signaling that your home has a lucrative breed to steal.
Supposedly, red chalk marks are used to indicate large dogs worth stealing, while yellow and pink marks refer to medium and small dogs, respectively.
Sweaters On The Windscreen
Ashley Hardacre, from Michigan, said she found a sweater that was deliberately knotted around her windscreen wipers, after her shift at work and also saw another car ready to drive off nearby.
"I had seen posts lately about people finding things under their windshield wipers as an attempt to get girls out of their cars and distracted," she said on Facebook.
Rocks On Your Driveway
You probably wouldn’t think twice if you found a rock on your driveway, but this could be a sign that you’re being targeted.
"Distinctive stones are believed to have been left outside of properties which look unoccupied,” Nick Gough, chairman of a neighborhood watch, warns. "This includes stones being left under rear tires of some cars, possibly to act as a test for homeowner activity at the address."
Stickers On Your Bin
Home security specialists Yale warn that criminals have been using outside bins to mark homes as well, often by placing a sticker on the side of a bin outside their target.
“Pre-burglar marking is an issue we have been aware of for a long time," a spokesperson for the security company said.
Piles Of Stones
"White stones and advertising stickers attached to bins with fake locksmith contact details have been used as a way of marking vulnerable properties,” Yale warns.
"The markings are thought to provide potential housebreakers details about the building, such as whether it is a good target or has an alarm, or whether it has been previously been targeted successfully.”
Stone Mounds In Fields
Thieves have also been known to leave mounds of stones near farm buildings to signal if a property is a good target for a break-in.
It's always worth looking out for these unusual signs and symbols outside your home or business and to be vigilant-- it’s always better to be safe than sorry!