Southampton Town police detectives and the Sag Harbor Village fire marshal are still investigating the drowning death of a 2-year-old boy at a house on North Haven two weeks ago, an incident that prompted the North Haven mayor to remind village residents about New York State’s swimming pool rules over the weekend.
According to Southampton Town police, on July 7, a 2-year-old boy was pulled unresponsive from a pool on Sunset Beach Road. Four days later, police confirmed that the boy had died.
“It can happen in seconds and is often silent,” Mayor Chris Fiore wrote. “But drowning is preventable. . . . These codes can help prevent the unthinkable from happening. Please check your home today for compliance.”
North Haven’s village code, he said, reflects that of New York State in requiring “a protective fence around the perimeter of any pool,” either adjacent to the pool or around the property. Alarms are mandatory on any door that allows pool access “to alert an adult to the possibility of a child exiting the residence and nearing the pool,” Mayor Fiore said. “Any gates entering the property must also be child-proof gates.”
He also urged people who own rental properties to take particular care in complying with the rules. While it remains unclear whether the family whose son drowned were friends of the homeowner or formally renting the property, Mayor Fiore did confirm that their primary residence is in California. The village clerk, Beth Kamper, confirmed to The Star that the house was not listed on North Haven Village’s rental registry at the time of the toddler’s death.
According to its certificate of occupancy, the house was built in 2018 by Farrell Building Companies, measures 3,226 square feet, and features a spa and tennis court in addition to the pool. It is officially owned by a limited liability company, according to the Southampton Town tax rolls. No one was available at the house for comment last Thursday.
Mayor Fiore said last week that he believes the investigators “will be looking for fencing and/or alarms that we require in all residents for ownerships or rentals. If any of us have ever been around a 2-and-a-half-year-old, you know that anything can happen in seconds. Compliance with fencing and alarms is paramount in your homes.”
When the toddler was found in the North Haven pool, there had already been five drownings in residential pools in the county in the span of about two weeks, according to Suffolk County police. Four of them involved children under the age of 10. On Saturday, Suffolk police announced another child, 7, died after being pulled unresponsive from a pool in Bay Shore.
Bruce Schiavoni, Sag Harbor’s fire marshal, said on Monday he expects more information about the North Haven incident to become publicly available in the next two weeks.