A 61-year-old man died after a heavy metallic necklace he was wearing pulled him into an active Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine at a medical facility in Westbury, Long Island, New York.
According to the Nassau County Police Department, the man entered the MRI room at Nassau Open MRI on July 16 without authorization, while the scanner was operating.The powerful magnetic field yanked the large metal chain around his neck, pulling him forcefully into the machine.
Victim Identified by Family
While police have not released the man’s name publicly, local media reports identify him as Keith Jones-McAllister, based on an interview with his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister.
“He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp,” she told News 12 Long Island.
She said she had just completed an MRI scan for a knee injury and asked her husband to come into the room to assist her. He was wearing a 20-pound (9kg) chain with a lock, which he reportedly used for weight training.
“At that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in, and he hit the MRI,” she said.
Details of the Incident
In a statement, Nassau County Police confirmed:
“The male victim was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck causing him to be drawn into the machine, which resulted in a medical episode.”
Emergency responders were called to the scene, but the man was later pronounced dead.
Ms Jones-McAllister stated that the MRI technician attempted to pull her husband away from the machine and said she pleaded with staff to shut it off.
“I’m saying, ‘Could you turn off the machine? Call 911. Do something. Turn this damn thing off!’” she said.
She also claimed this was not their first visit to the facility and that a staff member had previously commented on the chain, saying, “Oh, that’s a big chain.”
MRI Safety Standards and Risks
MRI machines operate using strong magnetic fields capable of attracting metal objects with considerable force. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), metal items including jewelry, keys, and even oxygen tanks can become dangerous projectiles if brought near an active scanner.
Facilities typically instruct patients and visitors to remove all metallic items and change into MRI-safe clothing before entering scan rooms.
In 2001, a six-year-old boy died when an oxygen tank was pulled into an MRI machine at a hospital in New York City.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Nassau County Police Department.
