According to a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard 7th District Public Affairs Team, the search for the passenger who went overboard while sailing on Liberty of the Seas has been suspended.
Last Thursday, a 20-year-old guest jumped off the ship around 4:00am after an alleged argument with his father. Liberty of the Seas, a Freedom Class ship that launched in 2007, was roughly 57 miles from Great Inagua Island in The Bahamas and just hours from returning to Fort Lauderdale after a 4-night cruise.
Before jumping, he supposedly said to his dad, "I'll fix this right now," according to The New York Post.
Fellow passenger Bryan Sims, who was in the hot tub with the unidentified guest leading up to the incident, said, "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."
Though the vessel came to an immediate halt and crew members began searching for the missing man, the majority of the passengers onboard weren't aware of the situation until the Captain made an announcement later in the morning. Liberty of the Seas resumed sailing around 9:00am.
About four hours later, the United States Coast Guard announced on X that USCG crews began searching for the overboard passenger.
The statement read, "#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. USCG Cutter Seneca and Air Station Miami HC-144 crews are conducting the search."
Recently, he was identified as Levion Parker of North Port, Florida. After being unable to locate Parker, the search, as confirmed by UNILAD, has been called off.
Whenever a passenger does go overboard, Royal Caribbean opens up an investigation to determine how it occurred, as well as if there were any safety violations.
Though cruise lines implement measures to help prevent guests from falling overboard, it's not rare to hear of such instances occurring. Thankfully, not all stories have an unhappy ending
In October 2023, a guest sailing onboard Symphony of the Seas was reported going overboard shortly after departing from Barcelona, Spain on a 14-night transatlantic cruise.
Passengers reported hearing, "Oscar, Oscar, Oscar," which is the crew's code for man overboard, over the PA system. X user @landonb94 even took to social media to post that he was able to see spotlights and rescue boats from his cabin's balcony.
The ship turned around and successfully rescued the guest after about an hour of searching. They were then taken to the ship's medical facility.
Additionally, a 42-year-old passenger sailing onboard Mariner of the Seas in June 2023 was rescued after going overboard while sailing south of Punta Cana en route to Willemstad, Curaçao.
As reported by FOX 35 Orlando, the passenger was recovered alive and in good health after falling from Deck 10. According to a statement released by a Royal Caribbean spokesperson, “The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest."
"Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our Care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party.”
