One day, a 911 call came in the heroic dispatcher would never forget. When a woman in distress called the Emergency line to order a pizza, it took Tim Teneyck a few seconds to realize that pizza was the last thing the caller needed in what would transpire to be a life-threatening situation…

The Hero Without A Cape

Tim Teneyck is 54-years-old living in Oregon, Ohio. He has been working in the 911 control room for over 14 years and enjoys his job.

Although it comes with difficult hours, such as 12-hour night shifts, Teneyck said he was doing what’s routine to dispatchers: taking every call seriously and following up even on wrong dials. The hours were passing slowly on his regular shift.

However, he would soon receive a rather strange call…

The Wrong Number

On the 13th of November, in the early hours of the evening, the emergency line rang. “I would like to order a pizza,” the 911 caller said, giving a residential address.

“You called 911 to order a pizza?” Tim asked with confusion. The woman on the other end of the line said yes and proceeded to give the address again. “This is the wrong number to order a pizza,” Teneyck said.

Speaking In Code

When Tim had made it clear to the woman that this line wasn’t for Domino’s, she became even more distressed. “No, no, no, no … you’re not understanding,” the caller said.

At this point, they had only been on the line for about 20 seconds when Tim realized it wasn’t pizza the caller needed. She was speaking in code language. So, Teneyck cut her off: “I’m getting you now, OK. … The guy still there?”

The Details

“Yeah, I need a large pizza,” the caller said, before specifying pepperoni. Calling 911 to order a pizza is has been used in the past as a domestic violence code. As per protocol, Tim tried to get as much information out of her as possible.

“All right. How about medical? You need medical?” Tim asked. “No, with pepperoni,” the caller said in a panic. He then asked her if she could stay on the line with him, to which she also responded no.

Response Time

“All right, we will get them going,” Tim assured the caller. He then proceeded to dispatch a response team to her location.

He explained to the officers that the “Caller ordered a pizza, and agreed with everything I said that there was domestic violence going on,” he then instructed them to “turn your sirens off before you get there.”

The Other Side Of The Line

According to the Oregon Police Department, when the officers arrived on scene, they immediately understood why the caller had to speak in code. The woman on the other end of the line was Tiffany Urban, who was calling out of fear for what was happening to her mother.

She is the 38-year-old daughter of a 57-year-old woman, who’s live-in boyfriend arrived home intoxicated and yelling uncontrollably.

Domestic Violence

The 57-year-old victim has been kept anonymous. Apparently, this is not the first time something like this has happened with her boyfriend, Simon Ray Lopez.

According to the accounts of the victim and another witness in the police report, he barged into the home saying that he was “going to beat her ass” before punching and pushing her. The caller told the officers that her mother was pushed so hard that “she fell into the wall behind her.”

No More

Simon Ray Lopez is 56 years old and had been dating the victim for a few years. This kind of occurrence had become regular.

In the police report, he stated that he did “not put his hands on the victim, and he only wanted to go to bed.” However, the suspect was arrested and is now being held at the Lucas County Corrections Center on a domestic violence charge.

Not Your Average Dispatcher

After the incident, Mike Navarre, the chief of police in Oregon, Ohio, investigated the call. He was extremely proud of Tim. “He utilized his training and his experience to recognize that a woman was in distress,” Navarre told NBC News.

“We have no way of knowing what would have happened if she didn’t get through.” He also said that neither he, nor Tim, had ever heard of pretending to order a pizza in order to make a secret call to the police.

It’s A Thing

Pretending you would like to order a pizza is a strategy that support groups for victims of domestic violence have passed on to their members. “Or they also teach not just pizza but Chinese food,” and when the “operator tells you that you have the wrong number, say ‘no,'” Navarre said.

“A good dispatcher is going to recognize that this is a person who wants to talk and needs help. That is exactly what happened here.”

Rumor Has It

Just last year, there was a post on Facebook, that spread to thousands of users, stating that “If you need to call 911 but are scared to because of someone in the room, dial and ask for a pepperoni pizza..

..They will ask if you know you’re calling 911. Say yes, and continue pretending you’re making an order. … Dispatchers are trained to ask specific yes or no questions … don’t hang up!”

FYI

However, the authorities had a different approach. The police department quickly responded to this spreading rumor stating that: “This is false. Text to 911 is a much better option.

Your exact location & the nature of your emergency is what’s needed to send the right resources.” However, not all 911 control rooms have this texting service, so it is something one should check with the control room in their area.

The Last Time Someone Ordered A Pizza

Regardless of the above tweet, this was not the first time someone called the 911 control room and ordered a pizza as a code for domestic violence. Back in 2014, According to a Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a woman at the age of 33, called 911.

The controller who took the call reported hearing a male and female arguing, then the female got on the phone and pretended to order a pizza, giving an address and hanging up.

Just In Case

There are still some controllers who will respond to this code language. However, it is difficult for authorities to ensure that they will always recognize a call for pizza as the ‘real deal.’ Tim said the only reason he knew this woman was in trouble was that he could hear how anxious she was.

“911 dispatchers handle these calls and don’t get the recognition for their work,” Tim said. “Someone else could’ve dropped this call, but this is nothing that any other dispatcher across the US couldn’t have handled.”

You Are Not Alone

“Since our founding in 2013, No More has urged people to recognize the signs and calls for help that may be shared by family members, friends and community members,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent to NBC News.

“Of course, we hope that survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse are able to call emergency or support services directly whenever needed — but that’s not always the reality.” We can only hope that the dispatcher on the other end of the line is as dedicated as Tim Teneyck.

“911 Operators, What Is That One Call That You Could Never Forget?”

In a Reddit thread back in 2014 titled “911 Operators, What Is That One Call That You Could Never Forget?”, a former 911 dispatcher named Keith Weisinger posted a very similar story.

“I worked the graveyard shift, 6pm–6am, and I remember this call being pretty late – close to midnight.”

Keith Received A Call That Started Out Sounding Pretty Silly

“911, where is you emergency?”

“123 Main St.”

“Ok, what’s going on there?”

“I’d like to order a pizza for delivery.”

“Ma’am, you’ve reached 911”



“Yeah, I know. Can I have a large with half pepperoni, half mushroom and peppers?”

“Ummm…. I’m sorry, you know you’ve called 911 right?”

Keith Realizes Something’s Up

“Yeah, do you know how long it will be?”

“Ok, Ma’am, is everything ok over there? do you have an emergency?”

“Yes, I do.”



“..And you can’t talk about it because there’s someone in the room with you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Do you know how long it will be?”

‘Can You Stay On The Phone With Me?’

“I have an officer about a mile from your location. Are there any weapons in your house?”

“Nope.”

“Can you stay on the phone with me?”

“Nope. See you soon, thanks..”

A History Of Domestic Violence

As Keith dispatched the call, he checked the history of the address. He saw multiple previous domestic violence calls.

The officers then arrived and found the couple; the female was banged up and the boyfriend was drunk. He was subsequently arrested.

Relief

Weisinger said the woman was calm at first, but gave short, hurried responses.

“I remember feeling relieved we had an officer close by who could respond quickly,” he added. “I thought she was pretty clever to use that trick. Definitely one of the most memorable calls.”