HE KNEW THE CHAMBER WAS MISSING CRUCIAL SAFETY STRAPS AND STAYED COMPLETELY SILENT…: SAFETY CHIEF SENTENCED IN 5-YEAR-OLD’S HORRIFIC EXPLOSION DEATH! The judge ripped into his negligence after a completely preventable tragedy!

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Safety Director Sentenced Up to 15 Years in Fatal Hyperbaric Chamber Explosion That Killed 5-Year-Old Boy

Thomas Cooper

The former safety director of a Michigan medical facility has been sentenced to prison in connection with the fatal explosion of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that claimed the life of five-year-old Thomas Cooper. Jeffrey Mosteller received a sentence of 19 months to 15 years behind bars after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter in Oakland County Circuit Court. Presiding Judge Kwamé Rowe criticized Mosteller’s gross failure to intervene, emphasizing that it was directly incumbent upon him to speak out against blatant safety hazards that ultimately cost a child his life.

5-Year-Old Boy Identified After Dying in Hyperbaric Chamber Explosion

The tragedy took place on January 31, 2025, at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, where the young boy was undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sleep apnea and ADHD. During the session, the oxygen-rich pressurized chamber ignited from the inside and exploded. Thomas’ mother suffered burns to her arms as she made frantic attempts to rescue her son from the blaze. Investigations later revealed that the facility operated in routine defiance of National Fire Protection Association guidelines and manufacturer protocols by failing to use grounding straps, which discharge static electricity to prevent sparks.

Defense Cites Pre-Existing Practices as Multiple Executives Face Criminal Charges

 

Jeff Mosteller, Former safety director sentenced in hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed 5-year-old

During sentencing, defense attorney Alona Sharon acknowledged that Mosteller committed a devastating lapse in judgment, while noting that the facility’s hazardous practice of omitting grounding straps was already entrenched before he joined the staff. Nevertheless, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel condemned the oversight, stating that the five-year-old lost his life in a completely preventable catastrophe caused by allowing an outdated device to function without fundamental safeguards. Thomas’ grieving family chose not to attend the sentencing hearing or provide victim impact statements, with prosecutors explaining that the heartbreak remained too overwhelming to articulate in open court.

Thomas Cooper, Hyperbaric chamber that exploded at The Oxford Center in Troy, Mich.

The sentencing represents the first major criminal resolution in an expanding legal reckoning surrounding the fatal incident. Additional facility leaders—including Oxford Center CEO Tamela Peterson and operations director Gary Marken—remain charged with second-degree murder and alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter, while chamber operator Aleta Moffitt faces involuntary manslaughter and medical record falsification charges. With trials against the executive team and parallel civil lawsuits still pending, the community and regulatory authorities continue to demand systemic accountability across clinical hyperbaric facilities nationwide.