by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:45 AM ET, Tue July 25, 2023
The United States Coast Guard announced the suspension of
its search for a missing passenger who reportedly jumped from the side of a
Carnival Cruise Line ship.
According to the New
York Post, 30-year-old Jaylen Hill was seen on camera climbing on the
railing of the Carnival Elation on Sunday and jumping into the water below. The
vessel was en route to its final stop in Jacksonville when the incident occurred.
Hill’s “travel companion” immediately told Carnival crew
members about what happened and they reviewed security footage to confirm when
and where he jumped from the ship.
Crew members aboard Carnival Elation called in an emergency to
the Coast Guard, who dispatched the 87-foot cutter Tarpon from St. Petersburg and
a Miami-based Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist in the search for the missing
man.
After scanning more than 1,347 miles of the ocean looking
for Hill and finding no sign of the missing cruise passenger, Coast Guard
officials called off the search “pending any further developments.”
“We offer our deepest condolences to the Hill family,” Petty
Officer Eric Rodriguez said. “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.”
A Carnival spokesperson said Carnival Elation completed its four-day
Bahamas itinerary on Monday morning when it docked in Jacksonville.
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