The first day of the summer camp 6-year-old Michael Jeffrey Stewart was overly excited about turned out to be his last. Sadly, the sweet child drowned and the tragedy has raised serious concerns about the Liberty Lake Day Camp’s safety measures.
Michael’s heartbroken mother, Enjoli Stewart, shared her frustration with the camp, saying her son, who was a beginner swimmer, was supposed to be in an instructional swim class, but it did not take place. She added that Michael was also assigned for a one-on-one aide who was supposed to be around Michael at all times.
Enjoli stated that the camp should have done more in order to prevent her son’s tragic passing. She also suggested that out of respect for her family, the pool where Michael drowned should have been closed for 24 to 48 hours, but the camp decided to proceed with their activities, stating that safety and well-being of campers and staff are their top priority.
Michael’s unresponsive body was found in shallow water by a lifeguard during the afternoon swim period for campers of first and second grade.
Despite the attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
At the time his mother was alerted of the tragedy, she was sharing with a co-worker how exciting Michael had been for the camp trip. He even slept with his googles on the previous night. Right then, her phone rang and she was told to rush to Mount Holly-Virtua.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Mansfield Township police are investigating the incident. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday by the Burlington County medical examiner.
Michael was supposed to spend a couple of weeks at the camp and his mom had spent thousands of dollars to ensure he had the best experience. “I did everything I could to make sure he was placed in the right school and the right camp,” she told FOX 29.
Michael was a fighter from the day he was welcomed into the world. Born as a preemie at just 23 weeks and weighing only one pound and three ounces, the chances of his survival were dubbed dull by doctors. But he defeated the odds and grew up into the most loving, most compassionate young man.
“Michael taught me how to fight and he taught me to fight without using my hands,” Enjoli said. “He taught me how to fight in a different manner.”
He attended first grade and loved playing basketball and baseball with his younger sister Layla. Michael was extremely bright and loved by everyone who knew him.
Camp founder Andy Pritikin shared a statement regarding the trgedy, “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.”
A GoFundMe page was started by a friend of the family and the community is organizing a lemonade stand to help with the expenses because Michael loved selling lemonade to his neighbors.
We are so very sorry for this tragic loss.
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