Dale Mooney, Patriots fan killed at game, once saved girl's life
Explore More
The Patriots fan and dad of two who died after another fan sucker-punched him during New England’s game against the Miami Dolphins over the weekend selflessly saved a young girl’s life on a New Hampshire beach years earlier.
Dale Mooney, who died at 53 on Sunday, put his own life at risk in July 2009 when he spotted the child caught between the rocks near a jetty on Hampton Beach and rushed to save her, according to a local news report at the time.
“The waves were slamming over her and she couldn’t even stay on her feet,” Mooney told Seacoastonline of the near-tragedy.
“She kept falling in between the rocks, trying to keep her head above water.”
The girl was trying to retrieve her boogie board but got stuck among the rocks as the tide rose and wind gusts hit 30 mph, according to the outlet.
Mooney, then 39, got closer to the girl and soon found himself surrounded by the unrelenting surf and waves.
“We were both pretty scared at that point,” he said.
But he said he couldn’t give up on the child — who was a total stranger to him.
“Once I made eye contact with her, I couldn’t turn back. As the two or three big waves came up, I told her, ‘Hold your breath, hold your breath.’ And then boom, the wave would hit us,” Mooney said.
“Then we’d fight to stand up and she tried to stand up. She was slipping and sliding.”
Mooney, who was 6 feet 3, told the girl to jump onto his shoulders during a short break between the crashing waves.
“We went for it and got hit by the next two or three rounds trying to get back,” he said.
Mooney was eventually able to make it back to shore with the young girl in tow.
Beachgoers who witnessed the daring rescue applauded him, and one stranger shook his hand, he said.
“I had a few people come up to me as I came out to tell me, ‘That was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen’ and whatnot. So I felt pretty good about it,” he said.
Mooney never learned the child’s name, but she thanked him for helping her to safety before she ran over to family members.
The New Hampshire father said he suffered bruised ribs, cut shins and swollen knees from the rescue and was “very sore” the next day.
He had been at the beach with his son when he noticed the young girl struggling, and said he hoped he could learn from the experience.
“We’ve, of course, told him not to be foolish and put yourself in dangerous situations. Or at least his mom has,” he told the outlet with a laugh.
“Don’t be a hero like your dad because you could get in dangerous situations.”
About 14 years later, Mooney tragically found himself in a dangerous situation that didn’t have a happy ending when he got into an altercation with Miami Dolphins fans during Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.
Keep up with today's most important news
Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.
Thanks for signing up!
A witness in the stands told MassLive that he saw Mooney — who was at the game with three friends — get into a physical confrontation with other men before a Dolphins fan walked over and slugged him.
“The Dolphins fan walks over and clearly punches him in the face,” Joey Kilmartin of Nashua, New Hampshire, told the local outlet.
“[He] gets knocked out and you can tell right away he’s not OK.”
Mooney never regained consciousness.
EMTs performed CPR and rushed him to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.
His death has left his wife, Lisa, feeling numb and confused, she said.
“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.”
She said her husband — who was a season ticket holder for 30 years — and his friends were taunted by the other fans ahead of the physical exchange, according to his pals at the game.
“It takes a lot to get him mad. He has the patience of a saint. I don’t know what happened,” Lisa said.
No charges have been filed, and Mooney’s official autopsy results are pending.
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3JmanFfma6tsYympqimla56sa3Tq6CorKNis6K6jKSgpaSVmXqiwIygmKadXaS7pLGMrJivnZRitKq%2By6xkpaGWmnw%3D