North Babylon, NY - September 18th, 2014 - Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the drowning death of a man in a backyard swimming pool in North Babylon tonight.

The wife and daughter of Thomas Romanello found him unresponsive in a four-foot above ground swimming pool, located at Dollard Drive at approximately 6:35 p.m. With the assistance of a neighbor, Romanello was pulled from the pool and CPR was performed. Romanello was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where he was pronounced dead.

Romanello, 56, of the above address, was wearing swimming trunks and there was a vacuum in the pool. It appears he may have been cleaning the pool to close it for the season. Detectives are investigating whether Romanello suffered a medical event before the drowning.  The death is believed to be non-criminal and an autopsy will be performed by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine cause of death.