Tragedy as ‘beautiful’ 6yo non-verbal boy drowns in neighbour’s backyard pool

“Sage was the most beautiful, special boy. He was my baby, and we loved him so, so much,” NSW dad Andrew said.

Alexandra Feiam

3 min read

January 23, 2024 - 12:16PM

5 ways to keep your children safe this summer

Family Life

Don't miss out on the headlines from Family Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.

A NSW father is issuing an urgent warning for parents after his six-year-old son drowned after accidentally falling into his neighbour’s pool.

Six-year-old Sage Pearman was playing in the garden with his father, Andrew, in the backyard of their Lake Macquarie home in NSW.

On January 11, Andrew briefly went back inside the house to check on his other son, nine-year-old Braxton, and was gone for only three minutes.

When he came back outside to continue playing with Sage, the 6yo was nowhere to be found.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

Sage tragically drowned in his neighbour's backyard pool. Source: Supplied

Six-year-old drowns in neighbour’s pool

The frantic search for his autistic and non-verbal son began, and Andrew immediately called the police to help them find his beloved son.

Then, the unimaginable happened.

“I was out the back talking to one of the officers, and from my backyard, we could see on the backstreet a police officer sprinting up the street,” the dad recalled to NCA NewsWire.

“I knew they found him, so I sprinted down my backyard and jumped the fence and jumped another fence, then that’s when I saw on the grass they were doing CPR on him.”

His lifeless body was pulled from a pool in their neighbour’s backyard. Andrew tried to sprint forward to his son, hoping to “touch him for just a moment”, but the police pulled him away, informing the dad they would send the 6yo to the hospital.

“From the back of the house, I just heard the most horrible scream,” said the heartbroken father. “His mum was actually in so much shock she passed out.”

Paramedics rushed the little boy to the hospital, but medical staff informed his parents they were unable to save him.

“I stayed with him as long as I could; I tried to protect him,” heartbroken Andrew said.

Sage is remembered as "the most beautiful, special boy." Source: Supplied

“I stayed with him as long as I could; I tried to protect him”

Since the death of their beloved boy, dad Andrew and mum Lauren said their lives have completely changed.

“Everything moves so slow,” he said, adding the “intensity of life” has now vanished.

“He was the most beautiful, special boy. He was my baby, and we loved him so, so much,” he said. “He was my best friend.”

The 6yo’s favourite things to do were spending time at the beach, climbing and “jumping off things.”

“His favourite times were at the beach because the sensory feeling of the sand was so exciting for him,” Andrew recalled.

“He used to turn his head to the side and listen to the waves crash – he absolutely loved it, he loved the salt water and was just drawn to it.”

Despite feeling “ashamed” and “embarrassed” by his son’s tragic passing, Andrew’s family encouraged him to set up a GoFundMe campaign to support the family during the difficult time.

“We just want to give our baby boy a proper funeral, something that shows how special he was,” he said. “I’ve been so completely blown away by how generous people have been.”

The six-year-old’s favourite TV show was Hey Duggee, and the family are hoping to hold a Duggee-themed funeral to honour their beloved boy, and have requested attendees to wear his favourite colours: yellow, red and orange.

“My only wish is that Sage can have the most beautiful send-off and memorable memorial he can have, and the rest of his family can be at ease with what we’re about to face,” Andrew said.

You can find and support Sage’s GoFundMe here.