What started as an exciting summer adventure for young Michael Stewart ended in tragedy. This incident has raised serious concerns about the camp’s safety measures and has led to a full investigation.
On Monday, at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Burlington County, New Jersey, six-year-old Michael Jeffrey Stewart drowned on his very first day of camp. This heartbreaking news has left Michael’s family in deep grief and has shocked the whole community.
Michael’s mother, Enjoli Stewart, shared her deep sadness and frustration with the camp. “Liberty Lakes messed up. Big time. And now I don’t have a son anymore. That’s heartbreaking,” she told FOX 29.
Michael had been looking forward to his first day at the camp, not knowing it would be his last. He was set to attend the camp for several weeks, and Enjoli had spent thousands of dollars to ensure he had the best experience. She said:
“I did everything I could to make sure he was placed in the right school and the right camp.”
The incident happened during the afternoon swim period for campers who were entering first and second grades.
Camp officials reported that a lifeguard found Michael unresponsive in a shallow pool. The lifeguard quickly pulled him out of the water and tried to perform CPR.
Despite the attempts to save him, Michael was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day.
Michael’s life was a fight from the beginning. Born as a micro-preemie at just 23 weeks and weighing only one pound and three ounces, doctors had not expected him to survive.
Despite the odds, Michael defied expectations with his mother’s relentless advocacy and unwavering faith. He grew into a bright, loving, and caring boy whose resilience and passion for learning won the hearts of everyone who knew him.
“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.”
Michael was especially close to his younger sister, Layla. They enjoyed playing basketball and baseball together. Enjoli described her son as “extremely smart,” with an impressive vocabulary.
Enjoli described Michael as a curious child who loved learning new things. He was excited about starting piano classes, which were next on his summer to-do list.
Liberty Lake Day Camp, which had just opened for the summer on the day of the incident, expressed their sorrow in a statement.
Camp founder Andy Pritikin wrote, “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.”
Michael’s mother was talking to a coworker about her son’s excitement for the camp when she received the heartbreaking news.
“Someone asked me how my day was going, and I told them about Michael and how he fell asleep the night before with his goggles on,” she said. “He was so excited about swimming, and then my phone rang. I was told I needed 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.
Enjoli has raised concerns about the camp’s safety protocols. She noted that Michael, a beginner swimmer, was supposed to be in an instructional swim class, but it did not take place.
She also pointed out that Michael was assigned a one-on-one aide who was meant to be with him at all times. However, that aide is still employed at the camp.
Pritikin acknowledged that typically, staff members do not conduct instructional swim classes on the first day of camp.
The camp employs 25 lifeguards certified in first aid, CPR, and the use of AEDs, as well as three registered nurses.
Despite these measures, Enjoli believes more should have been done to prevent her son’s death. She suggested that, out of respect for her family, the camp should have closed the pool for 24 to 48 hours following the incident.
However, Pritikin stated that experts advised continuing camp activities, emphasizing that the safety and well-being of campers and staff are their top priorities.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement expressing their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
In support of the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey, from his premature birth to his joyful life.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement offering their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
To support the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey from his premature birth to his joyful life.
The campaign organizer shared how doctors initially gave Michael little chance of survival. “Michael’s mother refused to believe that, and with every ounce of her strength, advocacy, and faith, fought for his life,” the campaign states.
Seeing Michael grow into a wonderful little boy filled Enjoli’s heart with joy. Unfortunately, that joy was cut short. Michael is remembered for his kindness and his heart of gold.
Not only was Michael a loving presence for his mother and younger sister, but he also touched the lives of everyone around him.
“The family is in need of a lot of support at this time, as you can imagine,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “We are asking for your help in raising money for Michael Jeffrey and his family so that he can be given the funeral and memorial services that he deserves to honor his life. Anything you can give to the family is much appreciated.”
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The update also mentioned another GoFundMe campaign started by Lumberton Township in response to the tragedy.
The Stewart family expressed their gratitude for this additional support and encouraged people to contribute to any of the fundraising campaigns.
In response to the incident, Liberty Lake Day Camp has made its clinical social worker available for counseling to those affected. The camp has also pledged to continue its summer program with a heightened emphasis on safety measures.
Fans worried Miley Cyrus in “in danger” after spotting bodyguard’s hidden move at Grammy Awards
It was a big night for singer Miley Cyrus last night as she took home her first ever Grammy Award.
However, this morning it wasn’t just Miley’s success that was being talked about online, but also the worrying idea that she may have been in danger.
Why? Well, some eagle-eyed speculators online have suggested that they saw “odd behavior” from her bodyguard which might imply that he was anticipating a threat of some kind.
Now, we feel it necessary at this point to make it clear that there is no evidence that Cyrus was in any danger, beyond what people are claiming to have seen in a video doing the rounds online.
Nevertheless, said clip has garnered so much attention that it just won’t do to ignore it. So, here goes.
The video in question comes from the red carpet at the 2024 Grammy Awards, which took place last night (February 4) and saw a number of musicians – like, a lot of them – win awards for their work over the past year.
The evening saw Taylor Swift win her fourth Album of the Year award, and featured a surprise appearance from Celine Dion as a presenter. Miley Cyrus also won her first ever Grammy, but it’s arguably a video trending on X that has become the most talked about point of the night where the 31-year-old is concerned.
As mentioned, footage of Cyrus on the event’s red carpet has gone viral. The clip, which shows the Wrecking Ball singer walking beside her bodyguard, who is carrying an umbrella, is only eight seconds long, but has already wracked up a mind-boggling 32 million views.
At first glance there isn’t much of anything to spot in the video – anything out of the ordinary, in any case – but take one look at what people are saying on X and you’ll be brought up to speed.
“Fake arm holding umbrella. So arm is under coat presumably with a weapon. Completely unnecessary at the Grammy Awards. This bodyguard is a clown. But in serious environments the fake arm is a common tactic,” one person commented.
“Auto firearm dressed as an umbrella?” another speculated.
“Pay close attention to Miley Cyrus’s bodyguard in this video at the Grammys all is not as it seems,” a third wrote.
A fourth added: “Did you catch the mysterious moves of Miley Cyrus‘s bodyguard at the Grammys There’s more to the story than meets the eye!“
Naturally there were others who took a less suspicious approach to the whole thing.
“It’s an umbrella weapon to rain lol! Not a gun,” one X user wrote.
Another added: “Miley Cyrus’s bodyguard is either carrying a gun disguised as an umbrella or is wearing a fake arm to disguise his real arm, again for security reasons. Bla, bla, bla. People are going nuts. It was raining. It’s an umbrella.“
“Tha narrative of a fake arm sounds good but let’s be realistic, it’s Miley Cyrus at the Grammies. This isn’t some world leader and I’m literally staring at his live hand holding an umbrella. It’s his juts him walking like he’s on a runway,” a third said.
What do you think? Have you had a look at the footage? Let us know.
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