What was supposed to be a routine medical visit ended in horror.
A 61-year-old man was fatally pulled into an active MRI machine—because of a heavy metal necklace.
The incident happened at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, Long Island.
Police say the man, identified by his wife as Keith Jones-McAllister, walked into the MRI room wearing a 20-pound training chain.
Moments later, the magnetic field of the machine violently yanked him forward.
What Happened There?
“He waved goodbye to me… then his whole body went limp,” said Adrienne Jones-McAllister.
She had just finished her own scan and asked her husband for help getting up.
The MRI was still on. She recalled screaming for the technician to shut it down.
MRI machines are powerful enough to turn everyday metal objects into deadly projectiles.
That’s why patients are told to remove jewelry, keys—even clothing with metallic threads.
Tragically, this isn’t the first fatal MRI accident. In 2001, a young boy died when an oxygen tank was pulled into a scanner.
The FDA warns that “even small metal items” can cause serious harm.
As investigators look into what went wrong at Nassau Open MRI, one painful question lingers: could this have been prevented?
Sometimes, safety reminders are written in heartbreak.
