Crime & Safety

NH Man Dies After Fight At Patriots Game Sunday

The 53-year-old man was punched during an altercation with another fan just before his death, according to multiple reports.

Dale Mooney of Newmarket​ was a father of two and a Patriots ticket holder for 30 years, his wife Lisa told WCVB​.
Dale Mooney of Newmarket​ was a father of two and a Patriots ticket holder for 30 years, his wife Lisa told WCVB​. (Neal McNamara/Patch)

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The 53-year-old New Hampshire man who officials said died after an apparent medical event at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Sunday was punched during an altercation with a Dolphins fan, according to multiple reports.

Dale Mooney, of Newmarket, was a father of two and a Patriots season ticket holder for 30 years, his wife, Lisa, told WCVB-TV.

A spectator said that Mooney was in a physical altercation with a Dolphins fan when he was punched in the face and never regained consciousness, according to MassLive.

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That spectator, identified as Joey Kilmartin of Nashua, New Hampshire, said he witnessed "bickering back and forth throughout the game between one section of the crowd and another."

Then apparently came an altercation involving Mooney.

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"The Dolphins fan walks over and clearly punches [Mooney] in the face," Kilmartin told MassLive. "(He) gets knocked out and you can tell right away he’s not OK."

Police and fire officials said they were called just before 11 p.m. to the 300 tier of the stadium.

Lisa Mooney told Boston 25 News her husband was at the game with friends, and that she was told her husband was several Dolphins fans taunted her husband before the altercation. The outlet said it obtained video of stadium security breaking up an apparent scuffle.

“It looked like people grabbing and pulling at each other at first at some point in the guy in the Dolphins jersey punched the victim twice in the face and that’s when the victim fell into his seat unconsciousness,” Kilmartin told the TV station.

Mooney was taken to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he died, according to officials.

His death is under investigation and no charges have been filed, officials said.

This story is being updated.


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