By Mary O’KEEFE

On Monday afternoon there was a sea of orange in front of the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA on Foothill Boulevard. Supporters of Colin Jacobs were dressed in orange shirts with the words “Justice for Colin” written on them. They lined both sides of the boulevard waving signs and receiving honks of support from many of those driving by.

On July 1, Colin, who was only a few days from turning 20 years old, drowned in the YMCA pool at the La Crescenta YMCA facility. Colin had a long history with the YMCA of the Foothills and was working as a camp counselor at the time of his death.

The protest, according to Colin’s father Philip, is a way to draw attention to his son’s death and hopefully a way to get more answers as to how he died.

“We want answers and we want awareness and we want justice for Colin,” Philip said.

The family’s quest for answers resulted from what they feel is a lack of direct communication from the Y after Colin’s drowning.

“The first call we got was from VHH [USC Verdugo Hills Hospital] telling us to hurry down there because our son was in big trouble,” Philip said.

But Colin had already died when they arrived. Philip said his son was dead when he was pulled from the pool, or at least that is what he was told when he and his family interviewed some of the witnesses who were at the pool at the time.

“We received an email a few days after [Colin’s death] from the Y with their condolences and asking if we needed help,” he said. “I am not sure what is going on as far as the YMCA. They asked us to communicate through their attorney. So we hired an attorney and he was communicating with the Y for a while.”

Colin had been involved with the Y for years. He was working as a camp counselor on the day he drowned. Most of the information about that day came from witnesses who the family talked to. Philip said the witnesses he spoke with all told the same story that kids from the camp jumped into the pool along with the camp counselors. They were playing and, according to what one witness told the family, Colin was there one minute and the next was gone. The witness said he assumed Colin had gotten out of the pool; apparently that was not the case.

Colin had a history of seizures. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s report Colin’s “manner” of death was found to be an accident with “other significant conditions – epilepsy.”

The family does not dispute that Colin had seizures and that they could have played a role in his drowning; however, they want to know how long it took to discover Colin was in trouble.

According to an email sent to Y members on July 2, the Y shared the loss of “one of our beloved employees who passed away after an incident during our summer day camp.” Out of respect for the family Y officials at the time did not release Colin’s name. In the email they added, “Despite the attention and efforts of the lifeguards, summer camp staff, EMTs and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital personnel, the counselor passed away.”

In a statement the Y said that families and campers were at the pool during the “incident” and offered counseling, which seemed to coincide with what the Jacobs’ family had heard from witnesses. Family members would like to speak to someone other than the Y’s lawyer to confirm details.

In email responses with CVW since the news of the drowning occurred the Y’s CEO Vincent Iuculano wrote the Y’s family continues to “mourn the loss of their beloved employee and is heartbroken for the family, his fellow staff, friends and the community who knew him.”

The family does not have ill will toward Iuculano, who had only recently stepped into the position of CEO at the YMCA of the Foothills, Philip added.

During Monday’s demonstration a man stopped by to show support to the Jacobses. The man told the family he had lost his daughter to a drowning a year earlier.

“His situation was very similar to [Colin’s],” Philip said.

According to Philip, the man shared that he, too, had a difficult time getting information, especially about the lifeguards on duty.

For the Y’s part, officials are declining to share any details of the drowning stating in an email to CVW “…we are currently collecting information in addition to working with the authorities.”

The investigation is completed as the coroner has determined the death to be accidental, said Glendale Police Detective Bateman.

In a response to CVW’s questions concerning the death investigation the Y stated: “Colin Jacobs was a beloved member of our YMCA family for more than 10 years. Everyone at the YMCA of the Foothills is devastated by his passing, and our hearts remain with his family, friends and all those who were touched by his kind and generous spirit.

“We are fully supporting the ICW Group and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s investigations into the incident, and all report findings will be shared upon conclusion. 

“Respecting that the family now has legal counsel, we are, unfortunately, legally and ethically prevented from direct contact with the family and must only communicate through legal counsel.”

For Colin’s family, they continue to search for answers and to grieve his death. Through all of this the Jacobses have discovered how many friends their son had and how many lives, including through the Y, he had touched over the years.

“We are finding Colin had such a big reach,” Philip said.

  Mary Okeefe