The U.S. Coast Guard suspended their search for a man who reportedly jumped off the deck of a cruise ship off the coast of Florida on July 23.
Late Sunday afternoon, staff on the Carnival Elation were alerted that a passenger had gone missing. Playback of deck surveillance camera footage soon revealed that the man had voluntarily jumped over the railing of the ship earlier that day.
A rescue mission then began for 30-year-old Jaylen Hill, who dived into the ocean some 110 miles (177 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Florida.
Rescue crews dispatched several vessels and airplanes to look for Mr. Hill, including the 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Tarpon from St. Petersburg, Florida, a Hercules aircraft based out of Clearwater, Florida, and a Miami-based Ocean Sentry aircraft.
On Monday night, Coast Guard officials announced that the search for Jaylen Hill had been called off “pending any further developments.”
In a public statement, Coast Guard Petty Officer Eric Rodriguez extended his condolences to Mr. Hill’s family, announcing that the search for the missing passenger had been suspended.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the Hill family. Our crews take our life-saving mission very seriously. Any time we can’t bring a loved one home to their family is a pain we all feel,” Mr. Rodriguez said.
The rescue operations lasted over 60 hours and covered more than 1,347 square miles.
The Carnival Cruise Line confirmed in a statement to the New York Post that Mr. Hill had jumped off the railing: “The crew was notified by his traveling companion late [Sunday] afternoon about his missing status after he had not been seen all day. Sadly, after an exhaustive on-board search and a review of security camera video, it was determined that he jumped.”
The cruise operator said that after alerting the authorities about the incident, they were advised to proceed with the cruise to its final stop in Jacksonville, Florida.
“The Carnival Care Team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts are with them and the guest.”
In May, a passenger named Ronnie Peale accidentally fell overboard from the Magic, another Carnival cruise ship.
“An initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning,” the cruise line said in a statement at the time.
Reportedly, Mr. Peale had taken his wife on a cruise to celebrate her birthday.
Here too, authorities had to call off the rescue teams after a fruitless 60-hour search operation.