Man jumps off cruise ship in front of his family: report

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FILE-Palm trees are seen on the beach in the Bahamas. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

A search is underway for a man who reportedly jumped off the upper deck of a cruise ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday on X, formerly Twitter, that the 20-year-old man went overboard from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship, part of the Royal Caribbean fleet, about 57 miles off the coast of the Bahamas Grand Inagua. 

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told FOX Television Stations in a statement Friday that "The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, who has taken over the search. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share." 

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According to the New York Post, the 18-story ship was sailing between Cuba and the Bahamas’ Grand Inagua Island when the unidentified man allegedly jumped off one of the decks shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday. 

Witnesses told the New York Post that the man's father and brother watched "helplessly" as he jumped over the side of the cruise ship, with some passengers claiming that the act seemed to be a spur-of-the-moment move by the man. 

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One passenger named Bryan Sims told the New York Post that he "hung out" with the man and his brother in the hot tub until "3:30." Sims told the news outlet that the man seemed "pretty drunk" at the time. 

Sims also told the news outlet that the group was walking back from the hot tub to the elevators, and the man’s dad and brother walked toward them. Sims claims the man’s father was yelling at him for "being drunk." He also told the New York Post that the man told his dad he would "fix this right now" and he jumped out the window of the ship.

Another passenger, Deborah Morrison, told the New York Post a lot of yelling occurred, and the ship's crew was notified about the incident.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca and Air Station Miami HC-144 said that crews are searching for the man. 

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This story was reported from Washington, D.C.