The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 20-year-old man who jumped from the deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise in front of his father and brother Thursday morning off the Bahamas.
Officials said the man jumped off the 18-story Liberty of the Seas cruise ship 57 miles from Great Inagua in front of his father and brother, according to United Press International.
βThe shipβs crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, who has taken over the search,β a spokesman for Royal Caribbean said in a statement. The Liberty of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbeanβs ships.
βOur Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guestβs family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.β
#Breaking @USCG crews are searching for a 20-year-old man who went overboard from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship 57 miles from Great Inagua this morning.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) April 4, 2024
USCG Cutter Seneca and Air Station Miami HC-144 crews are conducting the search.#USCG #SAR pic.twitter.com/zZPpKOdyCn
The Liberty of the Seas cruise ship is the 35th largest in the world, the Coast Guard said.
Witnesses said the manβs father and brother watched as he jumped, seemingly on a spur of the moment decision, over the side, according to The New York Post.
βI had hung out with him and his brother in the hot tub until 3:30,β passenger Bryan Sims told the Post.
βHe was pretty drunk,β Sims continued. βAs we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess.
βWhen we got to them, he said to his dad, βIβll fix this right now.β And he jumped out the window in front of us all.β
The cruise set sail from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday and is set to return on Friday, according to CruiseMapper.
Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organizationβs official website.
Β© 2024 Cox Media Group






