Queens father arrested after trying to drown children on West Haven beach

A Queens father was arrested Saturday morning after he was caught trying to drown his two children, both under the age of 3, at a beach in West Haven, Connecticut, police said.

An officer on patrol near Ocean and Dawson avenues spotted an SUV parked on the beach around 2:30 a.m., the West Haven Police Department wrote on Facebook. As he approached, the officer heard desperate cries coming from the water and quickly ran towards the commotion.

When the officer reached shore, he spotted a man, identified as Romney Desronvil, 41, and his two young children walking further and further away, police said.

The father called him, telling him to stay away, and the officer then determined that Desronvil was “deliberately drowning his children.”

Additional officers and firefighters were called to the scene and provided assistance in lifeboats. They finally managed to reach the trio, who had wandered about 100 meters from the shore, police said.

Rescuers began taking life-saving measures immediately after the children were pulled from the water. They were rushed to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and remain in critical condition, officials said Saturday evening.

Three police officers were also treated for minor injuries.

Desronvil was charged with two counts of attempted homicide and two counts of risk of injury.