A passerby alerted a garbage truck driver after hearing yelling from inside the vehicle early Wednesday morning, Sept. 2, 2026, in San Francisco, helping prompt a two-hour rescue of a man buried beneath compacted trash. Firefighters later freed the man and took him to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in serious condition, according to the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) and local reporting.
The incident happened around 4:11 a.m. Sept. 2, on the 100 block of Mason Street near Eddy Street and the Powell Street BART station. The SFFD said a passerby flagged down the driver of a Recology garbage truck and reported hearing yelling from the truck’s garbage compartment.
