The United States Coast Guard has called off the search for a 20-year-old man who leaped out of a window and vanished in the sea below in front of his family.
The incident had occurred on Thursday (April 4) at around 4:00AM on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas as it sailed between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island.
According to The New York Post, the unnamed man jumped off one of the decks while his father and brother watched helplessly.
A search and rescue mission was immediately launched, with many of the other passengers on board also watching the water to see any trace of the 20-year-old, but the US Coast Guard has now called off the search after it was unsuccessful.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, the US Coast Guard confirmed on Tuesday that the search had been called off after failing to locate the man.
One onlooker, who said he had been hanging out with the man before the incident, claimed the 20-year-old had appeared to be drunk and got into a disagreement with his dad before making a snap decision to jump out of the window.
Bryan Sims told the New York Post that he'd been in the hot tub with the "pretty drunk" man "until 3:30AM", adding: "As 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.
"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.
"His family was horrified. Just beside themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through," Sims said. "It was insane. It was just surreal."
Another passenger named Deborah Morrison wrote on the Cruise Critic Community page online that the crew was "alerted immediately" by the "yelling", explaining: "Currently on Liberty, heading back from Puerto Plata.
"Woke up last night between 2-3 and thought I heard an 'Alpha, Alpha, Alpha'. Learned this morning that it was an 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar'," they said. "Other passengers said that the lifeboats had been out around the ship all morning. Later the Captain announced that the Coast Guard was taking over the search.
"At noon the Captain announced that we would be making up time and will probably only be an hour and a half late getting back to Ft. Lauderdale, we should be docking around 7:30 AM. My thoughts go out to all affected by this sad situation."
Another passenger, Amy Phelps Fouse, added: "The early morning was definitely somber as so many people came out of their cabins to stare at the sea, hoping to be able to aid in finding the person.
"Royal Caribbean has been excellent at communicating updates throughout the day. They have asked that people act with compassion in light of the tragic situation."
The Royal Caribbean issued a statement to The New York Post after the horrific incident, saying: "The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search.
"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."
Our thoughts are with the man's family and friends at this devastating time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
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