Fisherman was trapped under a massive boulder as the tide rose. 'Siri' was his only hope
Rescuers tried to locate Little by honking their car horns
No matter how familiar a place may seem, nature can still take you by surprise. 28-year-old Joe Little from Oregon planned to spend his weekend fishing by himself. He was at his usual spot at the Hammond Marina jetty. He was sitting on a rock he'd sat on several times. When it moved, he tried to stop it, but it was too heavy; he got trapped instead. Little's grandmother, Kelly Simonson, and his mother, Mindy, spoke to KPTV Fox 12 Oregon, on September 29, 2026, detailing how a Siri instruction led to his rescue. Their Instagram video received 10,000 views, 218 likes, and 6 comments.
Siri saved the day
Simonson explained that Little was familiar with the fishing spot and was on his usual rock. "He said that he felt it start to move and he put his feet down to stop it, but the boulder was huge, and he slipped down and it just went over him," she recalled. He realized he was stuck under the boulder that was below the high-tide waterline. He was in trouble because the tide was rising fast. Mindy explained that the headphones were in his ear and still connected to his phone, so at around 7 a.m., he asked Siri to call 911.
8-hour facial reconstruction surgery
Sgt. Dylan McCoy of the Warrenton Police Department led the rescue. At first, the rescue team tried to locate Little by honking their car horns. The 911 dispatcher was in Little's ear, asking if he could hear them. Since the terrain was unstable and hazardous, rescuers had to use a drone. Three minutes after it was launched, McCoy spotted Little's upper body and feet, but the rescue operation was not that simple.
McCoy explained, "They removed some of the smaller ones, and that allowed them to move him from underneath the extremely large boulder that had trapped him." By 9 a.m., a Coast Guard helicopter arrived, which took Little to the Coast Guard Air Station in Astoria. Little was later admitted to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU) for an 8-hour facial reconstruction surgery.
Coastal danger and drowning
More than 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning in the U.S. each year — about 11 deaths every day, according to the CDC. Additionally, The National Weather Service recorded 99 surf-zone fatalities across the U.S. in 2025. Its data includes deaths involving rip currents, high surf, and sneaker waves; Oregon itself recorded a sneaker-wave fatality at Depoe Bay that year. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife explicitly warns jetty anglers to check the stability of rocks, watch changing tides and weather, and stay alert for sneaker waves.
Thank God for Bluetooth earbuds
People were glad Siri worked the way it did for Little, because several people know how frustrating it can be. @karen98684 wrote, "God truly blessed him." @sorryyem commented, "Oh my God, I just watched. Crazy." Little's mother and his wife, Sabrina Little, organized a Support Now page. So far, they've raised $21,394.66, exceeding their $20,000 goal.
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