Wainscott Tow Truck Guy To Jimmy Fallon's Rescue

   A local towing company got a major shout-out from Jimmy Fallon Monday night after the "Tonight Show" host joked about getting stuck on the beach.

     Hammer Towing, a Wainscott company owned and operated by Elisha Osborn, came to the rescue on Sunday, and Mr. Fallon gave him props not only for helping, but also for his creative company name.

     Mr. Fallon, who owns a house in Sagaponack and often makes references to the South Fork, including talk about the WLNG radio station in Sag Harbor when he had Billy Joel on as a guest just last week, revealed to the audience that he had a stressful weekend in the Hamptons. Driving with his wife and baby daughter, he decided to test out his Range Rover's four-wheel drive.

     "I've seen commercials where they drive up rocks . . . this should be nothing," Mr. Fallon said of his thought process. "There's a dial you can turn and there's the car and it's next to a cactus, and, I'm assuming, sand." After consulting with his wife, he did the "manly thing" and "put it in 'sand.' "

     But the ride was not a smooth one.

     While he was trying to exit the beach at the next access at Peter's Pond, he did what so many have done before him -- failed to gain enough momentum and got stuck. He showed viewers a photo of his front tire, with the bottom of the S.U.V. buried in sand.

     "I didn't know what to do -- I called 911," Mr. Fallon said, drawing a lot of laughter from his live studio audience. Dispatchers, in turn, told him not to call 911 and to call a tow truck instead.

     Mr. Fallon even displayed Hammer Towing's business card showing a foot with a busted hammer toe, which he and the audience got a big kick out of. "His name is Elisha Osborn and he totally saved me."

• To watch the clip, click here.

     The comedian also found the tow truck driver himself funny, retelling how Mr. Osborn arrived at the beach and plainly stated, "You know you can't park there."

     Mr. Osborn said he had a feeling he better watch "The Tonight Show" on Monday night. "I fell asleep after the monologue. I figured if he was going to say anything it was going to be during the monologue," he said. It was after the commercial break, however, that Mr. Fallon went into the story, and Mr. Osborn was aroused from sleep when he heard something about a four-by-four.

     He said he ignored the first call he received because it came from a blocked number, but Mr. Fallon called again, identifying himself as Jim Fallon. He had a feeling it was the comedian, since he's seen Mr. Fallon in the area before.

     "He's a really, really nice guy -- super polite, cool. When I was bringing the chain down, he picked up my chain and brought it back to the truck, and he grabbed the chain -- it's all dirty. He's not a prima donna," Mr. Osborn said. "He was just a little embarrassed. I joked with him about how every now and again our man card is called into question. I was careful about what I said, sometimes my humor comes on the wrong way and it pisses people off."

     But, Mr. Fallon was grateful. "Thank you, Elisha. I promise I won't do it again," he said on the show.

     Arnold Schwarzenegger, his guest, gave him a hard time, however, about getting stuck.

     Mr. Osborn said the response has been overwhelming. His Facebook page for Hammer Towing got hundreds of messages with people thanking him for "saving Jimmy Fallon and his family."

     "He would have been okay. Ira Rennert was right next door," Mr. Osborn joked.