In a heartbreaking case in New Jersey, Christopher Gregor, a 31-year-old father, faces life in prison if convicted of forcing his six-year-old son, Corey Micciolo, to run on a treadmill to the point of exhaustion. alleging that the child was “too fat.” This abuse occurred just days before the boy’s tragic death in 2021, which has now been attributed to “chronic abuse.”
New footage showing this harsh treatment was revealed during a court session on Tuesday, shedding light on the seriousness of the abuse. During the trial that took place this Tuesday, the court viewed surveillance images from March 20, 2021, captured at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse gym, according to reports from Sun.
He video Disturbingly, it shows young Corey struggling to keep pace on the treadmill, falling repeatedly as his father, Christopher Gregor, persistently puts him back on it. At one point, footage shockingly captures Gregor apparently biting his son on the back of the head before forcing him to keep running.
The emotional toll of the courtroom revelations was palpable when Corey’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, took the stand as the first witness. Overwhelmed with emotion, she burst into tears as heartbreaking images from the gym played, illustrating the brutal reality her son faced.
After the incident at the gym, Breanna, who shared custody of Corey with Gregor, noticed injuries on her son and immediately reported them to a caseworker with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency. Concerned, she took Corey to the doctor on April 2, 2021. During the visit, Corey revealed that his father had forced him to run on the treadmill because he believed the boy was overweight.
The situation escalated the next day when Gregor rushed Corey to the hospital after the boy developed alarming symptoms such as stumbling, slurred speech, and experiencing shortness of breath and nausea after a nap. Tragically, while undergoing a CT scan, Corey suffered a seizure. Despite immediate medical intervention, he died shortly after.
An initial autopsy provided a grim view of Corey’s final days, indicating that he died from blunt force injuries, including heart and liver contusions accompanied by acute inflammation and sepsis. These findings painted a grim picture of the physical abuse the boy suffered.
In July 2021, Christopher Gregor was arrested on charges of child neglect. The arrest warrant details the abusive actions, noting Gregor’s method of increasing the speed of the treadmill, causing Corey to repeatedly fall and placing him back on the moving treadmill while performing the disturbing act of biting his head.
Corey Micciolo’s death was officially ruled a homicide in September 2021 following further investigation. A forensic pathologist concluded that the young man had suffered chronic abuse, evidenced by blunt force injuries to the chest and abdomen, a lacerated heart, a left lung contusion and liver injuries. As the trial continues, the community and nation watch closely, waiting justice for corey Micciolo, whose life was tragically and prematurely cut short.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or visit Childhelp.org. The direct line is available 24/7.
