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Ex-safety manager sentenced to 19 months in hyperbaric chamber death of five-year-old

Confirmed1 source · Sep 4, 2026

Jeffrey Mosteller pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter after a child died in a fire inside an oxygen chamber at an alternative health clinic in Michigan.

Ex-safety manager sentenced to 19 months in hyperbaric chamber death of five-year-old
Image via The Guardian

What happened

Jeffrey Mosteller, 66, a former safety manager at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, was sentenced to 19 months in prison on Monday after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter. The charge stems from the death of five-year-old Thomas Cooper in January 2025, who was killed in a fire and explosion inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber while undergoing treatment for ADHD and sleep apnea. According to an expert who reviewed video of the incident, the child pulled a sheet off a mattress, creating a static electricity spark that ignited a flash fire in the oxygen-rich environment, killing him within seconds. Cooper's mother was severely burned on her arms and chest while attempting to open the chamber. Three other Oxford Center employees—founder and CEO Tamela Peterson (charged with second-degree murder), facility manager Gary Marken (charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter), and chamber operator Aleta Moffitt (charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false medical information on a medical records chart)—remain awaiting trial.

Context

The incident highlights safety risks in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which the FDA has cleared for 13 specific medical conditions but which has become increasingly controversial as it expands into mainstream alternative medicine, with endorsements from figures aligned with the Trump administration's health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The case reflects broader tensions around the therapy's safety and appropriate use. Cooper's parents filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic and chamber manufacturer, signaling potential legal accountability for the facility's operations.