Ex-safety manager given 19 months’ prison over five-year-old’s hyperbaric chamber fire death
Summary
A former safety manager in Michigan was sentenced to 19 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter after a five-year-old boy died in a fire inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The boy’s death happened during treatment at an alternative healthcare facility, where the fire started from a static electricity spark in the oxygen-rich chamber.Key Facts
- Jeffrey Mosteller, 66, was sentenced to 19 months in prison for the death of five-year-old Thomas Cooper.
- The boy died in January 2025 after a fire and explosion inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in Michigan.
- Thomas Cooper was being treated for ADHD and sleep apnea at the Oxford Center, which uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
- The fire began when a static electricity spark ignited oxygen-rich air after the child disturbed a mattress sheet inside the chamber.
- Cooper’s mother was injured while trying to rescue him from the burning chamber.
- Three other former Oxford Center employees face charges related to the death, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is FDA-approved for certain conditions, but its safety has been questioned.
- Cooper’s family has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic and the chamber’s manufacturer.
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