“THIS WAS ARROGANCE” — SAFETY DIRECTOR SENTENCED AFTER 5-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES IN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER FIRE

MICHIGAN — A 5-year-old boy was inside a hyperbaric chamber receiving treatment when the equipment suddenly caught fire.

Moments later, the chamber exploded.

More than a year later, the first criminal sentence has now been handed down — and the judge delivered a blistering message about the safety decisions that preceded the tragedy.

Former Oxford Center safety director Jeffrey Mosteller has been sentenced to 19 months to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Thomas Cooper.

The sentence came after Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé Rowe focused on one critical issue:

The facility was not using grounding straps during hyperbaric treatments.

THE BOY WHO NEVER CAME HOME

Thomas was receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy at The Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, on January 31, 2025.

The treatment was intended to help with conditions including sleep apnea and ADHD.

Then something went terribly wrong.

According to prosecutors, the chamber caught fire from inside while Thomas was undergoing treatment.

The oxygen-rich environment created an especially dangerous situation, and investigators determined that the facility had not been following required safety protocols.

Thomas could not escape.

His mother was nearby and attempted to rescue him.

She suffered burns to her arms during the effort.

Thomas did not survive.

THE SAFETY DEVICE THAT WASN’T BEING USED

At the center of the case was a relatively simple piece of equipment: a grounding strap.

The straps are designed to safely discharge static electricity from a patient during hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

That matters because a spark inside an oxygen-rich chamber can create a serious fire hazard.

Prosecutors said the National Fire Protection Association and the chamber’s manufacturer, Sechrist, had established safety protocols requiring such precautions.

But the Oxford Center was not using the straps.

And that decision became a central issue in the criminal case.

Investigators found that the practice had existed before Mosteller began working at the facility.

But prosecutors argued that once he became safety director, he had a responsibility to recognize the danger and act.

“THIS IS ARROGANCE”

During Mosteller’s sentencing, Judge Rowe did not mince words.

“This is arrogance,” the judge said.

Rowe criticized the idea that Mosteller could believe he knew better than established national safety standards, the equipment manufacturer and the professionals who had determined the precautions were necessary.

The judge told Mosteller that, as the person responsible for safety, it was his responsibility to speak up and insist that the grounding straps were needed.

Prosecutors went even further.

Assistant Michigan Attorney General Chris Kessel argued that Mosteller had participated in a decision-making process that effectively rejected the expertise of doctors, scientists, engineers and safety specialists.

The consequence, prosecutors said, was devastating.

A 5-year-old boy lost his life.

THE DEFENSE: HE NEVER INTENDED TO PUT THOMAS IN DANGER

Mosteller’s attorney, Alona Sharon, acknowledged that her client failed to correct the practice.

But she argued that the decision not to use grounding straps had been made before he joined the center.

She also emphasized his relationship with Thomas.

According to Sharon, Mosteller had developed a warm rapport with the boy and cared about him.

She said she did not believe Mosteller ever thought he was putting Thomas’s life in danger.

But the court ultimately found that his failure to correct the safety problem carried criminal consequences.

Mosteller himself did not address the court during sentencing.

A FAMILY TOO HEARTBROKEN TO SPEAK

Thomas’s family did not attend the sentencing hearing.

They also did not submit a victim-impact statement.

A prosecutor explained that the tragedy remained too painful for them to publicly address.

More than a year after the explosion, the family was still dealing with the loss of a young child whose life had barely begun.

No sentence could bring Thomas back.

But Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she hoped the conviction could provide his family with at least some sense of justice.

Her office described the tragedy as preventable and said established safety standards had not been followed.

THREE MORE PEOPLE STILL FACE CHARGES

Mosteller is the first of four people charged in connection with Thomas’s death to complete the criminal proceedings.

The other defendants include Oxford Center CEO Tamela Peterson, operations director Gary Marken, and chamber operator Aleta Moffitt.

Their cases remain pending.

Peterson and Marken face second-degree murder charges as well as alternative involuntary manslaughter counts, while Moffitt faces an involuntary manslaughter charge and an allegation involving false information in a medical record.

A separate civil lawsuit brought by Thomas’s family is also pending.

THE QUESTION THAT REMAINS

Thomas went into the Oxford Center for treatment.

His mother expected him to come home.

Instead, she watched as the chamber caught fire and tried desperately to save her child.

Now, Jeffrey Mosteller will spend at least 19 months behind bars, with the possibility of serving up to 15 years.

The judge’s message was clear: safety rules are not optional when lives depend on them.

And in Thomas Cooper’s case, prosecutors say the failure to follow those rules had consequences that could never be undone.

A 5-year-old boy entered a treatment chamber looking for help. He never came home — and now the first criminal sentence in the case has been handed down.