FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - The Foxboro Police Department says it will seek assault and disorderly conduct charges against several people in connection with the death of a New England Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium.
Foxboro Police Chief Michael Grace told 7NEWS on Thursday that his department was in the process of seeking charges in Wrentham District Court against three men from Rhode Island, as officials continue investigating the death of 53-year-old Dale Mooney.
“The Foxborough Police Department has applied for criminal complaints alleging assault and battery and disorderly conduct against three Rhode Island men stemming from the September 17, 2023 altercation between fans at Gillette Stadium that ended with a New Hampshire man collapsing and later being pronounced dead at a local hospital,” a news release from Foxborough PD stated.
State and local police had been investigating Mooney’s death ever since Sunday, Sept. 17, when the Newmarket, NH native suffered “an apparent medical event” during the fourth quarter of the Patriots-Dolphins game.
Witnesses who spoke with 7NEWS described seeing a fight break out in the stadium’s 308/309 section, with paramedics arriving soon afterwards to treat Mooney, who appeared to go unconscious after he suffered two punches to the head.
Joe Kilmartin, who witnessed and filmed part of the fight, told 7NEWS on Thursday that he was not surprised by the latest developments.
“I’m not surprised by it – I’m surprised that it took this amount of time for it to come out, I mean, it was very clear that there were multiple people involved in the incident,” he said over the phone, adding that what happened in September was part of a larger problem.
“See, I think more about the general [issue of] people getting into fights in the stands needs to be addressed than this actual situation – this is just an unfortunate outcome of a bigger problem,” Kilmartin said.
Days after his death, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said Mooney’s autopsy results did not suggest traumatic injury, but did identify a medical issue.
“The final cause and manner of the death of Dale Mooney, 53, of New Hampshire, remain undetermined pending further testing by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the death remains under investigation by Foxborough and State Police assigned to the Norfolk DA’s Office,” Foxboro PD stated.
A hearing on Foxboro PD’s filed criminal complaints is likely to occur at Wrentham District Court in the coming weeks.
A GoFundMe campaign supporting Mooney’s family can be found here.
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