Two men have been hit with criminal charges for their alleged roles in an altercation that eventually ended with the death of a Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium earlier this year, TMZ Sports has confirmed.
According to the Foxborough Police Department, 59-year-old John Vieira and 39-year-old Justin Mitchell were charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct this week after investigators say they were involved in a fight with Dale Mooney just prior to Mooney's death at the Pats vs. Dolphins game on Sept. 17.
Tragedy: A longtime #Patriots fan died at the game Sunday night after being punched by a #Dolphins fan and hitting his head on the ground, causing him to lose consciousness and never regain it.
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 19, 2023
The fan, Dale Mooney, was a 30 year season ticket holder who was at the game with his… pic.twitter.com/4nT9cQnv9k
The FPD says the charges came down after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Mooney died from "probable cardiac dysrhythmia in a person with severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during a physical altercation."
Police Want Charges For Three Men Over Patriots Fan's Death At Game
The FPD, however, added that despite the OCME ruling the manner of Mooney's death as a homicide ... the evidence its investigators gathered did not establish "a basis for criminal prosecution of charges related to homicide in Mr. Mooney’s death."
Vieira is slated for arraignment on Jan. 19 ... while Mitchell is set to be arraigned a week later.
“We thank the members of the public who made their private videos of the altercation available for our review," Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said in a statement Friday, "and the investigators at the Foxborough Police Department, for their help in establishing a clear picture of these tragic events."
Mooney -- who's been described as a New England super fan -- was just 53 years old.