Boy, 6, dies after drowning in pool on first day of summer camp
A six-year-old boy died after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool on the first day of a summer camp in New Jersey.
The boy was found shortly before 2pm on Monday at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Mansfield Township, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that I’m writing to share some tragic news,’ said the camp’s founder, Andy Pritikin, in a message to families obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
‘During the afternoon swim period today for the Freshman Division, one of our lifeguards noticed that one of our campers appeared to be unresponsive in our shallow pool.’
Lifeguards and staff pulled the boy from the water and administered CPR and called 911. He was rushed to the nearest hospital where ‘doctors feverishly tried to resuscitate him’, wrote Pritikin.
‘Tragically, despite all lifesaving efforts, he passed away,’ he said.
The boy was not immediately identified. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
His death is under investigation by the county prosecutor’s office and the township police department.
‘We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken,’ Pritikin wrote. ‘Our thoughts at this most difficult time are with our camper’s family, friends and loved ones – and we are respecting their privacy at this time.’
The camp, owned by Pritikin since 2005, has three registered nurses as staff members and 25 lifeguards certified to perform CPR and use a defibrillator.
Its Freshman Division is for kids in first and second grade.
‘These still-young campers get to directly experience the responsibility of making their own choices through the Freedom of Choice elective system,’ states the camp’s website, detailing more than ’60 diverse elective activities’.
‘We challenge you to find another day camp that offers this age group the opportunity to choose what they want to do each day during the summer.’
A social worker stationed at the camp has been counseling witnesses of the tragic incident.
‘Experts recommend that the best thing we can do is to forge forward,’ Pritikin said, ‘And continue on with camp tomorrow, which we will do.’
The boy died just weeks after an 11-year-old girl drowned to death trying to save her younger sister from a hotel pool in Wheelersburg, Ohio, during a birthtday party.
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