Patriots Fan Who Suffered Fatal Hit Remembered For Saving Little Girl From Drowning

More details on Dale Mooney, the Patriots fan who died at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, attending the Miami versus New England matchup, revealed a man known as a Good Samaritan based on past heroics.

One of his heroic deeds includes saving a girl from drowning back in 2009.

According to accounts provided at the time, relayed by the New York Post, Mooney spotted a young girl struggling to get out of rushing waves. The strong push, guided by stronger winds, kept knocking the girl back into rocks.

The father, visiting Hampton Beach in New England with his son, risked himself by going out to the water to save the young woman against raging conditions. Eyewitness accounts corroborated the heroic tale.

Speaking with Seacoastonline, Mooney dove into the scene.

The waves were slamming over her and she couldn’t even stay on her feet. She kept falling in between the rocks, trying to keep her head above water. ... We were both pretty scared at that point.
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.
Then we’d fight to stand up and she tried to stand up. She was slipping and sliding. We went for it and got hit by the next two or three rounds trying to get back. ...
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.

Mooney, 53, and three friends accompanying him to the game at Gillette got tangled up in an altercation with several Dolphins fans.

READ: PATRIOTS FAN DIES AFTER ‘INCIDENT’ AT GILLETTE STADIUM

The 30-year Patriots ticket holder took a hit on the side of the head, collapsed in the 300 section of Gillette and died that night.

Warning: Upsetting footage shown

Mooney died at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro late Sunday. State Police and the Norfolk District Attorney's Office launched an investigation looking into Mooney's cause of death.

As OutKick's Joe Kinsey reported, "The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office is only saying that Mooney died following the incident while not saying whether the death was definitely related to the altercation."

Speaking with WCVB, Lisa Mooney, Dale's wife, commented on her husband's tragic passing.

“I want to know what happened. What caused this?” she said. “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.”