NFL fan dies after being ‘punched in the face’ during game

A US father of two died after an incident at American Football match where he was punched in the face and knocked unconscious by a fan from an opposing team, according to a witness.

Dale Mooney, 53, was treated at the scene by paramedics and rushed to a hospital after what had been described as an “apparent medical event,” but was pronounced dead shortly before midnight, reports the New York Post.

The incident occurred at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, south west of Boston, between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins NFL teams.

Mr Mooney was a Patriots fan.

A spectator has now claimed that he witnessed a physical altercation between Mr Mooney and another fan.

“The Dolphins fan walks over and clearly punches him in the face,” Joey Kilmartin, of Nashua, New Hampshire, told website MassLive. “(He) gets knocked out and you can tell right away he’s not OK.”

Mr Kilmartin told the news outlet that Mr Mooney also had gotten into a physical confrontation with other fans toward the end of the fourth quarter.

He said Mr Mooney never regained consciousness after being punched and that the paramedics performed CPR on him before rushing him to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, a town close to Providence, Rhode Island.

“It’s an unfortunate situation. I feel bad for the family,” said Mr Kilmartin, who described the incident to Foxborough police.

He provided a video of the incident to TV station ABC WCVB, which published images from the clip showing Mr Mooney getting his shirt pulled.

The footage shows Mr Mooney approaching the other fans on the 300 level of the stadium.

“He basically grabbed another fan,” Mr Kilmartin told WCVB. “They started tussling around for a few minutes. At one point, another fan walked over. He punched him … and the man just went out. It was pretty hard to watch.”

Mr Mooney’s wife, Lisa, said she feels “numb” and is seeking answers about the tragedy.

“I want to know what happened. What caused this?” she told WCVB. “I just don’t understand why people have to go to that extreme. Why can’t it just be fun? That’s all it’s supposed to be — a fun family event.”

M s Mooney said her husband — a father of two and season ticket holder for 30 years — went to the game with three friends who told her they were taunted by other fans.

“It takes a lot to get him mad. He has the patience of a saint. I don’t know what happened,” She told the outlet, adding that her husband had no medical condition that she knew of.

No charges have been filed, though Mr Kilmartin told MassLive that he witnessed police take one man into custody.

Massachusetts State Police have been assigned to the investigation.

Autopsy results are pending.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.