A 46-year-old man from Florida died after leaping from the 10th-story deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The captain confirmed the deceased was an events contractor with the LGBTQ+ cruise company chartering the ship for a private event.
Early reports claimed the man made ‘a clean jump’ from the Oasis of the Seas ship, throwing himself 117 feet into the dock.
Local authorities joined the US Coast Guard in the search for a man who jumped overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico
A four-hour search shut down the ship on Wednesday evening as the 4,000 passengers on the LGBTQ+ cruise run by Atlantis Events were assembled to establish who was missing.
In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, Royal Caribbean confirmed that CCTV footage seems to indicate the man purposefully jumped from the ship although the circumstances around the incident have not been confirmed.
‘We are assisting authorities with their investigation of the death of a male guest in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last evening,’ the statement said.
‘Security footage indicates the man intentionally went overboard from Oasis of the Seas. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’
After a four-hour search, the body of a 46-year-old man from Florida was recovered
Passengers were mustered to go through a roll call to identify the missing person
The Oasis of the Sea had been chartered for the cruise by an LGBTQ+ events company named Atlantis Events for a private event.
Speaking to the Tennessean, Nashville community organizer Eric Patton confirmed the passengers had been told the deceased was an Atlantis employee.
Patton said that the crew gathered all passengers together to run a roll call to identify the missing person after a man was seen falling from the ship on Wednesday night.
Passengers gathered around 11.15 pm to check names off passenger lists deck by deck. They were still counting as of midnight local time.
The ship was charted by Atlantis Events
‘Atlantis has been doing these cruises for decades and is so professional and welcoming. I know that their hearts have to be broken over all this. They’ve handled this so professionally and with such kindness to the passengers,’ Patton said.
‘It really feels like a brotherhood on here. It’s just so sad this happened.
‘It’s the world’s biggest gay cruise,’ he added.
‘Everyone on this boat has been so sweet and amazing. The captain and crew have been so phenomenal. The boat is beautiful. Being a cruise for predominantly gay men of every age, race, and stripe, it’s been so empowering to be a part of it.’
The ship was scheduled to leave San Juan Bay at 9.30 pm but remained docked as the investigation continued.
Addressing the passengers, the captain said that events would continue on Thursday and that the cruise would continue on to the next dock although details were not confirmed.
The United States Coast Guard San Juan sector was contacted by Puerto Rico police’s marine unit on Wednesday night concerning a passenger who was seen falling from a ship on San Juan Bay.
The Coast Guard has not yet identified if foul play, drugs or alcohol were involved. CCTV footage from the incident indicates the man jumped from the ship but his death has not yet been confirmed as a suicide.
The US Coast Guard San Juan sector was called by local authorities to aid the search
According to NBC,the investigation is ongoing.
Oasis of the Seas is one of the four largest cruise ships in the world and sails out of Port-Miami. It had been contracted by Atlantis Events for an LGBTQ+ cruise. On Wednesday night, the scheduled entertainment from the band Above & Beyond was canceled as passengers mustered to find the missing person.
This is the second tragic death in less than a year on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
On July 8, 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand fell to her death from the 11th story of the Freedom of the Seas after her grandfather Salvatore Anello lifted her through an open window.
Anello denied knowing the window was open and the family sued Royal Caribbean, arguing that the company had failed to protect the toddler.
Royal Caribbean blamed her death on the actions of a “reckless and irresponsible” grandfather earlier this year.