Man accidentally loaded into San Francisco garbage truck, freed in wild rescue

San Francisco Firefighters rescue man trapped in garbage truck

The man was in a Recology dumpster that was picked up by a garbage collector this morning. The man was injured and buried under 30 cubic yards of trash. Paramedics were able to administer an IV even while he was partially buried.

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco firefighters rescued a man trapped inside a garbage truck early Wednesday morning after he was accidentally loaded into the vehicle along with the contents of a dumpster.

Garbage truck rescue

What we know:

San Francisco firefighters free man from Recology garbage truck. Photo: SFFD Sept. 2, 2026

The rescue occurred near the intersection of Mason and Eddy streets.

According to San Francisco Fire Lt. Mariano Elias, the drama began around 4:10 a.m. when a Recology driver picked up a dumpster and emptied it into the back of his truck. Firefighters said the man had been digging around inside the dumpster before it was dumped into the vehicle.

Shouting for help

Why you should care:

San Francisco firefighters rescue man from garbage truck

San Francisco firefighters rescued a man from a garbage truck at Mason and Eddy streets at about 4 a.m. Residents heard the man yelling from inside the truck and it took firefighters two hours to pull out the crash and get the man out. The man was taken to the hospital.

Bystanders immediately flagged down the Recology truck after hearing the man shouting and calling for help from inside the garbage container. The driver used the vehicle's compactor once before realizing someone was trapped.

Twenty-five firefighters responded to the scene and had to manually pull out the truck's contents to reach the victim, who was completely buried under a giant pile of debris. Firefighters said the Recology operator had used the compactor at least once, and it's unclear if the man was injured by the machine.

While the man remained trapped, paramedics managed to reach his arm through the trash to administer medication through an IV for his injuries.

After roughly two hours, firefighters freed the conscious man and transported him to a hospital.

The full extent and cause of his injuries remain unclear, including whether they resulted from the fall, being buried, or the compactor mechanism. One firefighter sustained a minor cut to his hand during the rescue efforts.

Recology workers later used construction equipment to clear the giant pile of trash left in the street and load it back into a dumpster.

Firefighters plan to interview the man at the hospital to determine what he was doing in the dumpster prior to the incident.

Freddy Diaz, who witnessed the rescue, complimented the firefighters on their care and diligence.

"We were thinking it was a baby because they were going so slow and doing it so carefully," he said. "We had no idea what was gonig on."