The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Oxford Center Safety Manager Pleads to Involuntary Manslaughter in Fatal Hyperbaric Chamber Explosion
July 21, 2026
LANSING – Today, Oxford Center Safety Director Jeffrey Mosteller pled no contest to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in connection with the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Per a plea and sentencing agreement submitted to the Court, Mosteller will be sentenced to 19 months to 15 years’ incarceration.
The Oxford Center, located in Troy, provided therapy for adults and children with various health conditions, including autism, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases, through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. On January 31, 2025, while Cooper was undergoing treatment, the hyperbaric chamber caught fire from the inside and exploded. Both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Sechrist, the manufacturer of the hyperbaric chamber, publish strict safety protocols that must be followed before treatment. However, Mosteller deliberately discarded these protocols and ignored precautions at the time of Cooper’s death.
“A young child lost his life in a completely preventable tragedy because this defendant allowed an outdated device to operate in defiance of safety standards,” said Attorney General Nessel. “While no outcome can reverse this loss, it is my hope that this conviction provides a sense of justice to Thomas’s family.”
Mosteller is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kwamé L. Rowe of the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County on August 31.
###
Media Contact: