WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 20-year-old man who passengers claim jumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that departed from South Florida.
According to the Coast Guard, the man was on the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship Thursday morning when he went overboard 57 miles from Great Inagua in the Bahamas.
#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
Some passengers told the New York Post that the man appeared to be intoxicated when he jumped off the ship.
"As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us," passenger Bryan Sims told the Post. "His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess. When we got to them, he said to his dad, 'I'll fix this right now.' And he jumped out the window in front of us all."
Another passenger told the Post his family appeared "horrified" by what had happened.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg told WPTV that the search was ongoing Friday morning. He couldn't say whether the man fell or jumped.
"The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, who has taken over the search," Royal Caribbean said in a statement. "Our care team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share."
Strasburg said a Coast Guard cutter and helicopter were searching for the missing man and would continue to do so for as long as there is reasonable evidence to suggest survival.
The Liberty of the Seas was on a four-day cruise that departed from Port Everglades on Monday and returned Friday morning, according to cruise-tracking website CruiseMapper.