By Phil Corso
The Independence Day holiday turned tragic when one child drowned in Douglas Manor and another had a close call in Glen Oaks. A toddler lost his life in a pool in Suffolk County on the same day.
A 4-year-old Bayside boy drowned in a relative’s pool early on July 4 during a holiday gathering, police said.
Emergency workers responded to calls of an unconscious child at 223 Beverley Road in Douglas Manor around 6 p.m., where they found Christos Voulkoudis, 4, inside the home’s backyard pool. When firefighters arrived at the home, the boy was lying next to the pool after being pulled out by family members, police said.
Christos was pronounced dead after he was taken to North Shore University Hospital.
Neighbors said the boy lived with his family in nearby Bayside and was visiting relatives who lived in Douglas Manor. Police said the boy was playing near the pool during a family Independence Day party when he fell in.
Neighbors surrounding the Douglas Manor home said they were shocked and saddened by the news. They pointed out that the Douglas Manor family was quiet and kept to themselves.
No criminality was suspected in the incident, police said.
Photos of the boy showed family trips and a recent birthday party on the Facebook page of the his father, Nick Voulkoudis. Two days after his son’s death, the father posted a photo of Christos with the caption, “My little heart and joy, what I loved the most, the love in my life.”
The incident occurred the same day that a 21-year-old lifeguard and college student, Emily Harms, saved an 11-year-old boy, who was in danger of drowning at a Glen Oaks pool after suffering a seizure, police said. Her heroics were to be honored this week when City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) was scheduled to present her and retired NYPD Sgt. Chris Russo with a city citation for helping to rescue the boy at the pool.
Police said the lifeguard performed CPR on the unconscious boy until emergency responders arrived at the pool at the Royal Ranch neighborhood complex.
That same day police said an East Islip, L.I., child drowned in his family’s backyard swimming pool after climbing a ladder. Byron Arthur, a 21-month-old toddler, was found by a family member at the bottom of his above-ground pool around 12:40 p.m. July 4. Police said the boy had fallen into the pool by climbing a ladder.
He was pronounced dead after being taken to nearby Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, L.I.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
