A brain-scanning MRI machine is seen in Pittsburgh, Nov. 26,...

A brain-scanning MRI machine is seen in Pittsburgh, Nov. 26, 2014. Credit: AP/Keith Srakocic

WESTBURY, N.Y. — A man was pulled into an MRI machine in New York after he walked into the room wearing a large chain necklace, police said.

The man, 61, had entered an MRI room while a scan was underway Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI. The machine's strong magnetic force drew him in by his metallic necklace, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

Police said the incident “resulted in a medical episode” that left the man hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities did not release his name and did not have an update on the man's condition on Friday.

A person who answered the phone at Nassau Open MRI on Long Island declined to comment Friday.

MRI machines “employ a strong magnetic field” that “exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,” according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are “strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room.”

In Dec. 2024, an East Patchogue teen went missing for 25 days. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa spoke with reporter Shari Einhorn about the girl, her life, the search and some of Long Island's dark secrets the investigation exposed. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas; File Footage

'Really, really tough stuff to talk about' In Dec. 2024, an East Patchogue teen went missing for 25 days. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa spoke with reporter Shari Einhorn about the girl, her life, the search and some of Long Island's dark secrets the investigation exposed.

In Dec. 2024, an East Patchogue teen went missing for 25 days. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa spoke with reporter Shari Einhorn about the girl, her life, the search and some of Long Island's dark secrets the investigation exposed. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas; File Footage

'Really, really tough stuff to talk about' In Dec. 2024, an East Patchogue teen went missing for 25 days. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa spoke with reporter Shari Einhorn about the girl, her life, the search and some of Long Island's dark secrets the investigation exposed.

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