The missing person’s identity, gender and nationality have not officially been released but according to Cruise Law News, an announcement aboard the ship stated the passenger was a male in his mid-twenties.
According to an email sent to Cruise Law News from a passenger onboard the ship, the captain got on the loudspeaker between 8:45 and 9:00 pm and announced that a ‘man’ had ‘jumped’ overboard.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a passenger who went overboard off a Royal Caribbean Cruises ship as it motored toward Puerto Rico.
Company spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said Sunday that the captain of the Adventure of the Seas stopped the ship, turned around and alerted authorities after a passenger reported seeing the person going overboard late Saturday.
In a Sunday email, Martinez said footage of the incident was also captured by the ship’s cameras.
The missing person’s identity, gender and nationality have not immediately been released.
When the U.S. Coast Guard assumed control of the search early Sunday, the cruise ship resumed its trip to Puerto Rico’s capital of San Juan.
Passengers on board the ship continue to speculate about the event. Several passengers have been posting updates on facebook and twitter in regards to the search.
Cruise passenger Jim Brooks wrote on facebook two hours ago, ‘We’re onboard now waiting to leave. Word is he intentionally jumped from his 6th deck balcony. Married with family aboard. During search there was what they thought was a sighting. Flare and life ring was deployed. Turned out to be a large fish.’
The Mail Online spoke with Jared Spiegel, a passenger on board who recounted his memory of the event.
‘I was sitting in the specialty restaurant, Portofino. A bunch of the captains were eating with their families including the Head Captain. All of the sudden, a message comes over the screen and the captain runs out. Then another captain gets a phone call and he leaves, ‘ he wrote.
‘About 15 minutes later, they announced that a man had jumped over board. I’ve heard it was off of deck six, possibly an asian man and they told us it was a man in his mid 20s. Also, a rumor going around the ship was that they had released flares signaling a rescue but it turned out to be a large fish. We got in around 9 AM which caused many people to miss their flights, ‘ he continued.
Twitter user Barry Snyder wrote, ‘What a night. Man Overboard really throws a wrench in a cruise #crazy #royalcaribbean #search #coastguard @ABC #AdventureOfTheSeas’
The Royal Caribbean ship was finishing a seven-night trip and returning to San Juan.