New Jersey boy dies after being found ‘unconscious’ in shallow pool at summer day camp

A six-year-old boy died after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool at a New Jersey day camp on Monday.

Michael Jeffrey Stewart drowned in a swimming pool at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Mansfield Township, New Jersey, his mother Enjoli Stewart said. The independentThe establishment had just opened for the summer.

The child was so excited about going to camp that he wore a pair of glasses to sleep the night before his first day.

“I’m going to miss my hugs,” Stewart said. “It was my baby. He was my little man. He was my protector. »

News of the child’s death was announced by camp founder Andy Pritikin in an email to parents, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write to you to share tragic news,” he wrote. “During the afternoon swim period today for the freshman division, one of our lifeguards noticed that one of our campers seemed unresponsive in our shallow pool.

“They and our trained staff immediately followed proper protocol by removing the RV from the water, administering CPR and calling 911,” he said.

The first grade division is for children in first and second grade, the camp website states.

“Paramedics arrived quickly and transported the campervan by ambulance to the nearest hospital where doctors tried frantically to resuscitate him. Sadly, despite all efforts to save his life, he passed away.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. Our thoughts are with our camper’s family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time, and we respect their privacy at this time. »

Stewart described her son as a beginner swimmer and said he was supposed to take an instructional swimming class that did not happen. She said the swimming class was part of the curriculum sent to parents.

However, Pritikin told him that staff typically don’t hold swim lessons on the first day of camp.

She also said her son was assigned a chaperone who was supposed to be with him 24 hours a day while he was at the camp. That person is still employed at the facility, she added.

Liberty Lake Day Camp did not respond to an emailed request for comment on the mother’s allegations.

Stewart’s son was scheduled to go to camp for several weeks this summer. She spent thousands of dollars to have him there during that time.

“I did everything I could to make sure he was placed in the right school and camp,” she said.

Stewart said she gave birth to her son at 23 weeks, adding that doctors did not expect him to survive.

“His whole life has been a struggle, from the time he was a micro preemie to where he is now,” she said.

She described her son as “extremely intelligent,” noting that he was two years ahead of his grade and had an extensive vocabulary.

He loved playing basketball, baseball and hanging out with his 2-year-old sister, Layla. He also planned to start piano lessons this summer. There was nothing he wasn’t interested in, she said. Last week, he blew up a volcano, she recalled.

A clinical social worker employed full-time by the camp was counseling people who witnessed the incident, Pritikin said in the letter.

The Independent I emailed Liberty Lake Day Camp and the Mansfield Township Police Department for comment.

Pritikin concluded his statement by saying that the camp will resume operations on Tuesday and that the safety of the children in the camp’s care is his top priority.

“The safety and well-being of our campers and staff is our top priority,” he said. The camp employs three registered nurses and 25 lifeguards certified in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of a defibrillator.

Mansfield Air Squad is located “down the street” from the installation, he noted.

“Experts are recommending that the best thing we can do is go ahead and continue camp tomorrow, which we will do,” Pritikin said.

Stewart said she was concerned about the camp’s pool being open a day after her son’s death. Out of respect for his family, the facility should close the pool for 24 hours, 48 ​​hours or a week, she said.

Pritikin founded the day camp in 2002. At 60 acres, it is now the largest day camp in southern and central New Jersey, its website says. The organization has served more than 1,000 campers each summer since 2006.