Oasis of the Seas Death: Coast Guard Recover Body of Man Overboard

The U.S. Coast Guard retrieved the body of a man who is believed to have jumped about 177 feet from the Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas” cruise ship while it was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard launched a search and diving team to recover the man’s body after it received a call from San Juan police regarding a person who jumped off the cruise ship, CBS News reported.

Authorities further revealed that the 46-year-old man who hails from Naples, Florida, made “a clean jump” from the Oasis of the Seas’ 10-story deck on Wednesday. Aside from grabbing the attention of local authorities, the incident also stalled the cruise ship’s supposed earlier departure from San Juan.

Two other cruise ships that were docked near the Oasis of the Seas were also restricted from leaving the Coast Guard’s “safety zone” while divers searched for the man’s body. According to ABC News, the 300-yard zone was later lifted.

Aside from multiple rescue boats, a helicopter was also deployed shortly after San Juan police called the U.S. Coast Guard. The call was made after surveillance video from the ship confirmed that a person jumped off the ship.

Initial reports on the incident suggested that the man “fell” from the ship that hosted a cruise for the LGBT community. However, the ship’s footage and early investigations suggest otherwise.

In an interview with Newsweek, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Cruises said ship footage suggested that the Florida man “intentionally” jumped off the deck. In a statement, the spokesperson added that the operator is working closely with respective authorities to investigate the jumping incident.

More details about the person’s identity have yet to be revealed. On the other hand, Oasis of the Seas crew members quickly did a roll call to help identify the person faster.

This is not the first time a person went overboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. However, the incident last year was not intentional as the victim was 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand.

The cruise ship operator said in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Wiegand’s family that the girl’s fall from a window was due to a “reckless and irresponsible” grandfather who appears to have dangled the child from the window.

Wiegand’s family quickly responded to Royal Caribbean’s motion. According to the Indianapolis Star, the family’s attorney Michael Winkleman said the ship operator’s motion did not have a clear basis for its statements. He added that the statements on the filing were “deceptive.”

The victim’s grandfather, Salvatore Anello, insisted repeatedly that he was unaware the window where Chloe fell was open. Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, revealed footage indicating that Anello may have known the window was open.