Cops: Boy who drowned in grandparents' pool used broken gate

A 3-year-old boy drowned Saturday at the Laurel Hollow home of his grandparents when he went through a broken gate around a pool, police said.

The child's grandmother found him in the in-ground pool at the home on Wildwood Drive, Nassau Det. Lt. Kevin Smith said. He had wandered off as his siblings, 5 and 7, were being fed lunch, Smith said.

The grandmother and a housekeeper were tending to the children, whom their mother had dropped off earlier, Smith said.

The mother and children live in Roslyn Heights, Smith said.

Police believe the boy opened a door to the garage and walked through to a gate in a 4-foot metal fence around the pool, Smith said. The lock on the gate had been removed because it needed to be replaced, he said.

The grandmother found the boy after she noticed he was missing, Smith said. Police and the fire department were called at 12:06 p.m.

The child was given CPR in an ambulance and taken to Syosset Hospital, but he was declared dead at 1:01 p.m., police said in a news release.

Police did not give the victim's name or that of family members.

The children had been swimming during an earlier visit, Smith said. Police secured the gate with rope yesterday afternoon, he said.

A relative outside the hospital emergency room Saturday said he did not want to speak to a reporter.

The death was the second pool drowning this year. Last month, a West Babylon girl, 2, drowned in a pool at her home.

Safety tips for backyard pools

Have fences on all four sides, including the side facing the house.

The fence should have a gate that can lock with a spring that pulls it closed, and it should prevent children from climbing over.

Keep a long hook and a flotation device near the pool.

A pool alarm that detects breaks in the water surface can be useful, though birds and strong wind can trigger false alarms.

Make sure children always are supervised in and around the pool area.

Know CPR.