A man who found himself trapped under a massive boulder while fishing alone was miraculously rescued after using Siri to call 911. Joseph Little, 28, was fishing alone at a marina in Hammond, a neighborhood in Astoria on the coast of Oregon, when a boulder dislodged and fell on him, according to his family and emergency responders. The Warrenton Fire Department arrived on scene at 7.38am on Sunday and found Little pinned under a rock. The Coast Guard rushed to assist when firefighters could not evacuate him due to the unstable terrain. 

The Guard's Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived at 9.55am and hoisted Little from the rocks. They then transported him to Columbia Memorial Hospital. His family wrote in an online fundraiser that even though he was unable to free himself from the boulder, he used his headphones to call for help. 'What followed was an incredible rescue effort. Multiple agencies, first responders, and helicopters came together to locate Joe, free him from beneath the boulder, and get him the emergency medical care he desperately needed,' the fundraiser's description read.

Little's mother, Mindy, told local Fox affiliate KPTV that he told Siri to call 911 using his Bluetooth earbuds, which stayed on after the boulder crushed him. 'His face got smashed. He’s almost unrecognizable. It’s a miracle that my son is alive,' Mindy emotionally recalled. Sergeant Dylan McCoy with the Warrenton Police told the outlet that responders found Little by honking their horns while a dispatcher asked if he could hear them. First responders also used a drone to find Little. Only part of his upper body was visible when they located him. The fire department moved the smaller rocks surrounding Little so he could escape. He was then hoisted to safety when the Coast Guard arrived.

Dramatic footage revealed a member of the Guard lowering themself from the helicopter above the rocky terrain. The emergency responder then secured Little on a stretcher as another Coast Guard member lifted them to safety. 'Today showcased how the Coast Guard and local agencies work together to save lives,' said Chief Petty Officer Patrick Toomey, the command duty officer for the Coast Guard Sector of the Columbia River. The Coast Guard warned that jetties and breakwaters are dangerous, often with slippery or uneven surfaces and changing tides that can shift boulders. Kelly Simonson, Little’s grandmother, told KPTV that he felt the boulder shift and attempted to move away, but he slipped, and it crushed him.

According to Little's Facebook profile, he works for the City of Gearhart and married his wife, Sabrina, in 2024. The family has raised over $20,000 as of Thursday night for Little's recovery. 'Joe and Sabrina have a long and difficult journey ahead of them,' the fundraiser's description read. 'Sabrina is staying by Joe’s side as they face the uncertainty of his injuries, treatment, and recovery together.' His family wrote in an update on Thursday that Joe was preparing to go into surgery for facial reconstruction. The Daily Mail has reached out to Little's family for additional comment.