Police investigating Patriots fan’s death during Dolphins game: what we know and witness accounts
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office announced that they are investigating the death of Dale Mooney, a 53-year old season ticker holder.
According to authorities, there was an incident in the 300-level section of the stadium shortly before 11 p.m. local time, during the Miami Dolphins game at the New England Patriots. The victim, a 53-year-old, was accompanied by his son and was a Patriots season ticket holder.
Patriots fan dies after clash
After local police and firefighters arrived, Mooney, who was from Newmarket, N.H. and was married with two sons, was transported to Sturdy Hospital in Attleborough, where he passed away shortly before midnight, as confirmed by Massachusetts State Police.
A state police spokesperson stated that the district attorney’s office is ‘investigating the facts and circumstances of the man’s death, including the sequence of events leading up to the medical incident.
Sad news: A 53-year old man passed away at the #Patriots-#Dolphins game Sunday night, via @TMZ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 18, 2023
He apparently experienced a "Medical event", according to officials.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident happened in the 300’s section… https://t.co/YpuTzHWr3o pic.twitter.com/c8V29kAfD1
Witnesses describe fight
According to some witnesses who were at the Gillette Stadium, a fight erupted between the victim and another fan. One witness stated that they had seen a punch thrown on the side of the victim’s head which caused him to fall, while pointing out that he was the bigger of the two.
“It was pretty heartbreaking and the game was still going on so the general public clearly knew what was going on in our section so the game was going on,” added the witness to NBC. “People are cheering for the Patriots comeback, and this poor guy has passed away before our eyes. It was pretty brutal to watch.”
A cell phone video shared by someone else in the crowd showed security personnel rushing to break up the fight, with paramedics attending to the injured man.
Tragedy: A longtime #Patriots fan died at the game Sunday night after being punched by a #Dolphins fan and hitting his head on the ground, causing him to lose consciousness and never regain it.
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 19, 2023
The fan, Dale Mooney, was a 30 year season ticket holder who was at the game with his… pic.twitter.com/4nT9cQnv9k
The district attorney’s office stated in a release that the investigation is part of the standard protocol. At the time of writing, no charges have been filed.
More as we have it.