New York State Man Allegedly Caused $125K In Damage By Releasing Gas

Police say a man in New York state is facing felony burglary charges after a bizarre incident the occurred in mid-April. The suspect was arrested May 1, after police say they identified the man through an ongoing investigation.

The suspect in question stands accused of causing around one-hundred and twenty-five-thousand dollars in damage to a medical trailer in upstate New York.

New York State Man Allegedly Caused $125K In Damage By Releasing Gas

WKTV is reporting that a 72-year-old man was arrested May 1 after an alleged incident in the commercial district. The New Hartford Police Department says that they were notified by employees at Open MRI of The Mohawk Valley that a person broke into a mobile medical trailer April 17.

WKTV says the suspect allegedly released one thousand liters of helium gas in the trailer, which caused extensive damage to the equipment inside. The gas release "compromised the MRI's magnetic field", which in turn rendered the equipment "inoperable", according to police investigators.

WKTV reports that the estimated cost for repairs to the equipment is around $125,000.

Police say the suspect was arrested, charged, and arraigned and was sent to county jail, where he will face a felony hearing scheduled for this week.

Helium's Uses In the Medical Field 

The website Rocky Mountain Air says that helium is often used in the medical industry by doctors who combine the gas with oxygen, which produces a heliox gas mixture to treat for respiratory ailments like asthma and emphysema.

Helium's very low boiling point of -452.1 degrees Fahrenheit aids the super powerful magnets used to produce MRIs. The MRIs have to be cooled in order to "consistently and accurately do their jobs of providing extremely detailed images of internal body structures", according to Rocky Mountain Air.

Police in New York did not indicate if the release of so much helium in the vicinity turned the suspect's voice into that of a quaking duck's, which made him easier to locate.