A man died last week after being pulled into an MRI machine by a “large metallic chain” police said he was wearing around his neck – highlighting the importance of checking for any metallic objects before going near the powerful magnets used in the medical imaging machines.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon at a medical building in Westbury, New York, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

A Long Island man who was sucked into an MRI machine by a neck chain he was wearing last week has died, Nassau County police said.