"Divine intervention": Amber Alert goes off during Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial, leaves internet in splits

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in the court (Jim Lo Scalzo/AFP/Getty Images)
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in the court (Jim Lo Scalzo/AFP/Getty Images)

During the closing argument from Amber Heard's lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn, an Emergency Mass Notification System (EMNS) interrupted the trial. As Rottenborn addressed the jurors regarding Depp's allegations about Heard falsifying claims, several phones in the Virginia courtroom rang with the alert.

At the time, Judge Penney Azcarate assumed the loud siren to be an Amber Alert (regarding child abduction). The siren disrupted the entire courtroom. It even caused Heard to look back at the Virginia courtroom gallery with a seemingly confused look.

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The alert also prevented Rottenborn from making his final appeal to the jurors. In his closing argument, Rottenborn alleged that most of the witnesses brought in by Johnny Depp were on his payroll.

The lawyer also spoke about the texts between Depp and his associates where he mentioned controversial slurs against his ex-wife Amber Heard.


Storm alert was mistaken for Amber Alert in court during Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial

The first time the phones in the courtroom went off, Judge Azcarate nudged everyone present in the Virginia courtroom to put their phones on silent before Rottenborn continued with his closing argument. Later, when the phones went off for a second time, Judge Azcarate said:

"There appears to be an Amber Alert. People are getting it on their phones that haven't silenced them."

However, the Law & Crime Network later reported that it was not an Amber alert system but rather a storm alert for the area of Fairfax, Virginia. Since the emergency broadcast system in US phones has the same tone, it can be seen why the Judge was confused about the origin of the alert.

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Furthermore, it could also be due to the convenience of saying "Amber Alert" compared to "Emergency Broadcast System" or "Emergency Mass Notification System." That may be why the Virginia-based Judge chose to call the siren "Amber alerts."

Storm alerts, as the name suggests, are meant to broadcast warnings for the Wireless Emergency Alerts-enabled phones in cases of dangerous weather. Meanwhile, Amber alerts are supposed to give out information about missing people, who are mostly children.


Netizens react to "Amber Alerts" during the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial

As expected, many followers of the trial quickly took to social media to point out the irony of an Amber Alert during the closing arguments from Amber Heard's lawyer.

Numerous tweets labeled the incident as a "sign from God," "divine intervention," and "red flags." Meanwhile, a few others joked about how Johnny Depp should have received an "Amber Alert" at the beginning of his relationship with Amber Heard.

However, this was not the only stir at the Virginia-based courthouse today. According to the Law & Crime Network, two motorcycle-borne police officers rushed towards the courthouse entrance. However, the multi-platform trial network claimed that it was for a different lawsuit happening simultaneously at the courthouse.


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Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul