A 61-year-old man died following a tragic accident involving an MRI machine at a medical facility in Westbury, Long Island. Nassau County police reported that the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI.

According to police, the man entered the MRI room to assist a relative who was undergoing a scan, despite being warned by a technician to stay out. He was wearing a large metal chain around his neck, which was pulled into the machine's powerful magnetic field. This caused him to be drawn into the MRI machine, resulting in severe injuries. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Witnesses described seeing smoke coming from the building during the incident. Orlando Hernandez, who works nearby, expressed shock, stating, "That’s insane. That should’ve never happened. It has to be someone’s responsibility."

Investigators are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the accident. Melonie Longacre, Vice President of Operations at Northwell Health, emphasized the importance of strict safety protocols around MRI machines. She explained the different zones in MRI facilities: "Zone I is just for awareness that there’s an MRI in the vicinity, Zone II is the patient screening zone where they get screened. Zone III is the post-screening zone, and Zone IV is the actual magnet room. It’s important to be educated and safe."

Longacre noted that the MRI department is both secure and potentially dangerous. "The entire circle you see [in an MRI], it's called a gantry. It's a magnet. It's huge. It's very big and very powerful," she said.

As of now, police have not released the identity of the victim. Nassau Open MRI has not responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.