Porch light outside a house in Illinois is blinking ‘SOS’ in morse code but police are too afraid to enter

A creepy abandoned house in Plainfield, Illinois is currently going viral on TikTok for one terrifying reason: a flickering porch light. But this porch light isn’t just flickering randomly, it’s flickering in a specific, repeating pattern, it’s morse code, and those who have decoded it have figured out it’s a cry for help.

The light turns on and off in a repeating pattern, three short flickers, followed by three long, and then another three short, in morse code this spells out “SOS.” The flickering outside the creepy, demonic-looking house was first noticed by a guy who shared his disturbing find on TikTok. In his video the light can be clearly seen turning on and off again in that exact pattern.

The first viral clip was posted by the TikTok account “ExtraordinaryJoseph” on January 19th and in the description he explains, “I was driving past a boarded up house, and I noticed both the front and back porch lights were flashing like a signal. Not a power flicker, they were purposefully turning on and off, over and over.”

@extraordinaryjoseph

Tonight in Plainfield, Illinois, I saw something that has been bothering me. I was driving past a boarded up house, and I noticed both the front and back porch lights were flashing like a signal. Not a power flicker, they were purposefully turning on and off, over and over. It immediately reminded me of Morse code or a silent distress signal and if someone was trapped inside, that could be their only way to communicate. I called 911 right away and stayed nearby until police arrived. They pulled up across the street at what looked like a truck stop area, and from where I was parked, it didn’t look like they got out of their car. After waiting about 10 minutes, I left thinking they were going to investigate. About 15 minutes later I drove past again and the lights were still flashing, no police in sight and I could faintly hear what sounded like someone calling for help. So I called 911 again. A Plainfield officer called me back and said They waited outside the house for 20 minutes They saw and heard nothing They weren’t going back And that a “flickering light” isn’t enough reason to investigate They also told me they “don’t know Morse code,” and acted like I was crazy for thinking flashing lights could be a signal. I don’t want to assume the worst but if someone is trapped, hiding, or being held against their will, turning lights off and on might be the only safe way to ask for help. I did what I could. I called twice. But if anyone lives near this area, please keep an eye out or call if you see something urgent. And to the person whose inside that house, If you were trying to signal for help, I’m sorry if the system failed you. I took you seriously.

♬ [Raw recording] Record playback noise 01 (3 minutes) – Icy Light

People instantly began speculating that perhaps somebody was trapped or being held hostage in the basement of the house or somewhere they couldn’t escape from, but could still flick the light switch. 

Very creepy, but what happened next?

The police were called to the scene by the original poster but despite the obvious message calling for help, they didn’t seem too interested in checking it out. Joseph claims he saw a cop car pull up but didn’t see them get out. When Joseph called them back they explained they had seen no suspicious activity and that a flickering light wasn’t enough reason to investigate, (apparently they didn’t know morse code).

In an update video Joseph showed a cop car outside the property when he drove past although he couldn’t confirm whether they got out. According to an article from NBC Chicago, a statement from the Will County Sheriff’s office confirmed they had yet to go inside, “there were no indications that anyone was in immediate danger based on the observations or information available to the responding officer(s).” Apparently a repeating “SOS” message isn’t a sign of distress anymore.

TikTok is mad

So why won’t the police go inside? Are they afraid? Are they just not taking the call for help seriously? Whatever the case, it’s annoyed enough people that those who live close enough to the location have vowed to travel there themselves and check it out.

While there has been no news of anyone attempting to gain access yet it’s likely only a matter of time before someone mad enough to actually enter comes along. The virality of the clip almost guarantees someone brave enough to go will see it. But hopefully the police are right and it really is just a flickering light, otherwise whoever is brave enough to enter that house might stumble into something terrifying and dangerous.