US man who made ‘fat’ son run on treadmill left hospital as he battled for life

A man in the US state of New Jersey who forced his six-year-old son to run on a treadmill for being “too fat” just before the child’s death in 2021 following months of abuse, left hospital as the boy battled for his life, according to court testimony. As the new evidence was presented during the ongoing murder trial, 31-year-old Christopher Gregor appeared emotionless and seemed to cry without shedding tears.

Gregor, who was arrested in July 2021 on child neglect charges, has been charged in the death of his son, Corey Miccolo. The boy died in April 2021 as a result of blunt force trauma.

A surveillance video of the gruelling workout showed the accused continuously increasing the treadmill’s speed, causing his son to fall off the workout machine face-first about six times.

During the trial at a New Jersey court this week, a nurse at the hospital where Gregor brought his son for treatment a day after the distressing workout, said the man walked out of the emergency room casually while medics scrambled to save the child’s life.

“We were the only ones with him,” The New York Post quoted Lindsay Carnevale, a nurse at the Southern Ocean County Medical Center who helped treat Corey when he was brought in on April 2, 2021, as saying.

She said Gregor was “emotionless” when he brought Corey in, adding that he left his son alone for a while, returned briefly before walking out again.

The child “was not showing any signs that he was verbal” and exhibited a neck arching reflex when touched, he added.

Despite efforts by medics, he died later that day during a CT scan attempt.

A forensic pathologist ruled his death a homicide by blunt force trauma. The pathologist also ruled that Corey had signs of “stress cardiomyopathy” — a heart condition that can be caused by stress from abuse.

However, Gregor’s lawyer, Mario Gallucci, said their medical experts will testify that the child’s death was due to sepsis caused by pneumonia, The Associated Press reported.

Gallucci also said the bruises on his body came from the treadmill and playing football.

When the trial began last week, Corey’s mother Breanna Micciolo, was the first witness to take the stand, and broke down in tears as the disturbing gym footage was played in court.

Breanna, who shared custody of Corey with Gregor, noticed the child’s injuries and reported them to a caseworker with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

She took Corey to a doctor on April 1, 2021, where the boy said his father forced him to run on the treadmill “because he was too fat”, according to Court TV.

She also claimed that child services ignored her pleas.

Besides the murder charge, Gregor also faces a child endangerment charge stemming from the treadmill video.

If convicted of murder, he will face 30 years in prison.