Accidental Call To WFAN's Boomer And Gio Leads To Welfare Check For NJ Woman

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — An accidental call to the Boomer and Gio sports talk program on WFAN ended with a welfare check for a Ridgewood woman who dialed the show by mistake looking for help.

"Joan in Ridgewood" called an 888 number to fix three things in her house, and reached WFAN Sports Radio, which had just begun using the number. Recently, the phone number for WFAN Sports Radio was switched to (888) 808-1019, retiring its old number that had been in use since 2009.

"I'm not doing well, I need somebody over here, and I called this 888 number and somebody picked up," Joan told the station, according to video of the call.

When she called in, Joan reached Al Dukes, the show's producer and call screener. Despite explaining to the woman that it was a talk radio call, she insisted on being put through in hopes of finding someone who could help her.

Dukes then put her through to hosts Boomer Esiason, a retired NFL quarterback, and his on-air partner Gregg Giannotti.

"How do I call somebody on my remote?" she asked.

Dukes took Joan's info off-air and called Ridgewood Police, who then dispatched an officer to perform a wellness check, Giannotti and Dukes said in an update video.

According to an article on a sports media website, a police officer checked on Joan and helped her with her remote control, which had dead batteries. He picked up her recliner from the floor. And police told the station that Joan's son would be returning to the house soon.

The article said Joan had found an old phone in the house and called the station.

If you are concerned about someone, you can always ask the police to do a wellness check. The Ridgewood police can be reached at 201-652-3900.

For social services in New Jersey, you can call 211, and in an emergency, call 911.