Autopsy of Patriots fan who died after Gillette Stadium fight ‘did not suggest traumatic injury’

On Sunday, a man died following a fight during the Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots game at Gillette Stadium. Now, a preliminary autopsy has provided more information on the fan’s cause of death.

According to a report from CBS News Boston, the autopsy showed Dale Mooney suffered a “medical issue” that could have been a contributing factor in his death. The autopsy also “did not suggest traumatic injury” played a role in Mooney’s passing.

At this time, there haven’t been any charges filed related to the incident as investigators gather more information on the incident.

Mooney was sitting in the 308/309 section when the incident happened. EMTs showed up and rushed the 53-year-old to Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he was pronounced dead just before midnight.

On Monday, a fan came forward and stated he witnessed Mooney and several fans get into a fight during the game.

“It was unsettling for sure,” Joe Kilmartin, a fan who witnessed the confrontation, told WCVB Channel 5 Boston. “He basically just grabbed another fan and they started tussling around for a few minutes. At one point, another Dolphins fan walked over punched him and the man just went out. It was pretty hard to watch.”

Mooney’s wife told 7NEWS that to the best of her knowledge Mooney did not have a heart condition, but his father did have heart issues. Mooney was a dedicated Patriots fan and had been a season-ticket holder for 30 years.

As reported by the local station, a state police spokesperson said detectives were “investigating the facts and circumstances of the man’s death, including the sequence of events prior to the medical incident.” 

Detectives are reviewing video and talking to people seated close to Mooney as part of the investigation. There are no charges currently in place. The chief medical examiner’s office will be conducting an autopsy as part of the investigation’s standard protocol, according to the DA’s office.

There was another unrelated incident during the same game. A different man at the stadium suffered cardiac arrest and was saved by two off-duty firefighters who administered CPR. According to a Facebook post by Local 1706, that man had food caught in his throat and became unresponsive, but the pair of firefighters happened to be at the right place and right time.