Apple Watch calls 911 after New Jersey couple falls off a cliff into a river on first date

What you need to know

  • A New Jersey man says his Apple Watch saved his life after it called 911 when he fell from a cliff.
  • James Prudenciano was on a date when he and Paige Paruso got lost in the woods, ending up on a steep cliff.
  • Both fell from the cliff into the river, however his Apple Watch detected a hard fall and called 911..

A New Jersey man and his date who fell from a cliff into a river in Middletown was probably saved by his Apple Watch, after it detected a hard fall and called 911.

James Prudenciano was on a date with Paige Paruso, hiking in Hartshorne Woods Park in Middletown. The two became lost in the woods, before tripping over thorns, leaving them both stranded on a steep cliff. As darkness fell they decided to shimmy down the cliff to try and find safety. However, all they found was a sheer drop to rocks and the water below.

Clinging on for dear life, Paruso fell into the river, and was able to tell James that she was hurt but was okay. At this point, Prudenciano's Watch detected a "hard fall" and called 911. With the authorities alerted, Prudencianio also fell into the water, landing on a rock and suffering three fractures in his back. Apple Watch was also able to alert Prudenciano's mother to the fall, letting her know there was an emergency. It gave an SOS notification, stating her son had called emergency services and even giving her an approximate maps location.

Thanks to his Apple Watch both were rescued by authorities and are expected to make a full recovery. Without Prudenciano's Apple Watch calling in 911 the pair may not have survived. Certainly the report from News 12 New Jersey says that Prudenciano credits his Apple Watch with saving his life.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9