A man fell overboard from the cruise ship “Carnival Magic” early Monday morning while it was on its way back to port in Norfolk, Virginia and is still missing, Carnival Cruise Line said.
The FBI is now investigating after a man fell from his Carnival Cruise stateroom balcony on early Monday morning off the coast of Florida.
A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson told Fox News Digital that security video shows a 35-year-old man leaning over the railing of his balcony and falling into the water at 4:10 AM on Monday, but was only reported missing later in the day.
On late Monday afternoon, his companion reported him missing, according to the spokesperson. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the man went overboard off the Carnival Magic vessel around 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida.
The U.S. Coast Guard has released the ship from any search and rescue efforts and advised the ship’s captain to continue on its way to Norfolk where it arrived as planned on Tuesday.
The FBI is the lead investigating agency in the incident, a spokesperson for the agency’s Norfolk field office told Fox News Digital.
The FBI typically has jurisdiction to investigate incidents on the high seas, and works closely with our partners in law enforcement and in the cruising industry to collect the evidence and facts of cases.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson said that it’s standard procedure for the FBI to lead any investigation involving a U.S. citizen in international waters. The Carnival Cruise Line’s security team is assisting with the investigation.
According to a now-deactivated GoFundMe created by Jennilyn Blosser, the 35-year-old man is Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., her partner, and said it was his first cruise.
We went on a cruise to celebrate my birthday and sadly he went overboard and still has not been recovered. Please keep our family in your prayers and thanks for your support.
This was Ronnie’s first cruise and thankfully he had a great time and made plenty of friends. He is our social butterfly that was always on the move and loved to make friends with everyone.
He loved the cruise life being able to drink, gamble, and socialize put him in his happy place. This was his first cruise and I’m sure he would have been willing to do one monthly.
The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday afternoon that its crews have searched 5,000 square miles and have spent over 40 hours searching for the man.
FOX News / ABC Flash Point News 2023.
He jumped into the ocean in the early morning, including exact time of the event, but his companion responded 12 hours later???
He was a frequent gambler and a alcoholic, maybe his spouse gambled that he would reach the coast on his own>?
The US Gestapo?