Six‑year-old boy drowns on first day of New Jersey summer camp
10:28 AM EDT, June 27, 2024
Tragic events unfolded during a summer camp for children in the American state of New Jersey. A six-year-old boy drowned on the very first day. "My son was eager; He was eager about everything," said the boy's mother, quoted by American media.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Monday, June 24, at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Bordentown, New Jersey. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office reported that a lifeguard found an unconscious Michael Stewart in the pool just before 2 PM.
A child has died
The lifeguard and staff at the facility where the pool was located immediately called for help and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Unfortunately, the resuscitation was not successful. Medics who arrived on the scene transported the child by ambulance to Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly, where he was pronounced dead.
"All of us at Liberty Lake Day Camp are devastated and grieving over the tragic passing of our young camper. This senseless tragedy took a life that was far too young. There are no words that feel appropriate enough to capture our heartache and mourning," said the camp host in a statement released after the boy drowned.
Investigations underway
The circumstances surrounding the six-year-old's drowning are not yet known. The prosecution is investigating the case. They will determine whether the boy went to the pool alone or with other children and whether supervisors were present then. The boy's mother stated that she would fight to clarify this tragedy. According to her, Michael was eager to swim in the pool on the first day of camp.
The Lumberton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 201 organized a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to support the six-year-old's family. As of Thursday morning, June 27, nearly $12,000 had been collected.
