A 6-year-old Black Boy Drowned During First Day of Summer Camp, And His Mother Wants Answers

By Phenix Halley, The Root

Six-year-old Michael Stewart was excited for his first day at summer camp. According to his mother, Enjoli Stewart, Michael even fell asleep with his swimming goggles on the night before.

Enjoli was at work on Monday, June 24, when she got a devastating call from a South New Jersey hospital.

According to a press release by the Office of the Burlington County Prosecutor, Michael was found unresponsive in a pool at Liberty Lake Day Camp shortly after 2 p.m. He was pulled out by a lifeguard and transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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During the afternoon, the camp has “free swim,” where campers can swim in at least one of the pools with supervision. “The normal breakdowns in the afternoon during free swim are that there’s three lifeguards in chairs at the little pool, with a fourth roving lifeguard, which far exceeds the ratios,” the camp’s director, Andy Pritikin said.

Additionally, the camp has three registered nurses, several lifeguards, and the Mansfield First Aid Squad located nearby, according to Pritikin.

The Root has the camp’s official statement.

Many Black Americans do not swim because of historic segregation at beaches and pools.

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