Preliminary Autopsy Results Released in Patriots Fan's Death After Fight With Dolphins Fans UPDATED

Updated published 12:45 p.m. 9/20/2023: Norfolk County prosecutors released a statement saying that preliminary autopsy results found no fatal traumatic injury in Dale Mooney, suggesting an unspecified "medical issue" may have contributed to his death following the fight with Dolphins fans.

"Our investigation has included numerous law enforcement interviews and the examination of multiple angles of video capturing the scuffle prior to Mr. Dale Mooney’s collapse during the Sunday night game at Gillette Stadium," the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said.

The district attorney's office says the "cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further testing."

The original story follows below.

Prosecutors in Massachusetts are investigating the death of a 53-year-old New Hampshire man who collapsed after an altercation described by witnesses as a fight between Dolphins fans and Patriots fans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.

First responders at the Patriots' stadium in Foxborough tried to revive Dale Mooney for several minutes to no avail. He was transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in nearby Attleborough, where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight on Sunday, September 17.

"The matter remains under active investigation," the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said in a statement issued Monday. "There are no charges in place at this time."

ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston interviewed a man who said he witnessed a violent confrontation between Dolphins and Patriots fans during the fourth quarter of the game. The witness, Joseph Kilmartin, said he saw Mooney, a Pats fan, approach a group of Dolphins fans in the 300 section of Gillette Stadium's upper deck, and that a fight broke out.

"They started tussling around for a few minutes," Kilmartin said. "At one point, another Dolphins fan walked over. He punched him three times, and the man just went out. It was pretty hard to watch."
NBC10 Boston reported that its reporters spoke with multiple witnesses, one of whom said the "victim got punched really hard on the side of the head and went down."

"He's a bigger guy but he just crumbled," the man said.

Mooney's wife, Lisa, told WCVB that her husband, a father of two, was a season ticket holder and went to see the Patriots-Dolphins matchup with friends Sunday night. After the fatal incident, his friends relayed to her that rival fans had been taunting them during the game, she said. 

Lisa Mooney said she was in a state of disbelief after hearing the news that her husband would not be coming home.

"I just don’t understand why people have to go to that extreme," she said. "Why can't it just be fun? That's all it's supposed to be, a fun family event."