FBI investigating death of 12-year-old boy who fell from balcony of cruise ship



A 12-year-old boy has died after falling from the balcony of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas was on a seven-day cruise in the western Caribbean with stops in Honduras and Mexico.

'We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests.'

On Saturday, the ship was en route to Galveston, Texas.

On the last night of the cruise, a 12-year-old boy plummeted to his death after falling from a balcony.

According to People magazine, the boy fell from the ship's "Central Park" neighborhood — an open area in the ship's interior on the 8th deck — which includes bars, restaurants, shops, and more than 10,000 plants and flowers.

The FBI confirmed that it was investigating the incident, according to the Washington Post, noting that it's “the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas,” and was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.

Royal Caribbean released a statement on the boy's death: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests. 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.”

The FBI and Royal Caribbean did not reveal the circumstances of how the boy fell from the balcony.

The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship docked in Galveston at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to cruise tracking site CruiseMapper.

In 2019, a 16-year-old boy fell to his death while attempting to climb into his room from the balcony of the Harmony of the Seas ship. The teen was on the eighth floor, according to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. The teen reportedly fell and landed on a pier after attempting to climb into his room from a nearby balcony because he forgot his room key.

Under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act that was passed in 2010, railings on cruise ships must be at least 42 inches tall.

Harmony of the Seas was first launched in 2016 and has 18 decks and a maximum capacity of 6,687.

Between 1995 and 2024, there were 416 people who went overboard while on cruise ships, according to data compiled by cruise industry researcher Ross Klein.

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YouTube DJ feared dead from jumping off cruise ship after fight with love interest, allegedly said he wanted to kill her



A Brazilian YouTube DJ is feared to be dead after he reportedly jumped from a cruise ship after getting into a fight with his love interest.

Carlos Alberto Mota Candreva, 32, was on a two-day New Year’s cruise from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro aboard the MSC Preziosa ship. Joining Candreva on the voyage was his 27-year-old love interest, Vitoria Barbara Momenso.

Just hours before his disappearance, Candreva was filming himself in exuberant travel videos and sharing them on social media.

However, Candreva and Momenso got into a heated argument about their relationship status during the cruise.

Momenso said, "While I was in the bathroom, Carlos took my cell phone. I didn't even know he had the password. He saw my conversations with other men and sent screenshots to friends saying he was thinking about killing me. He intended to kill me."

Metrópoles reported, "The sending of the messages was confirmed by people close to Carlos."

Momenso said she was not Candreva's girlfriend, and that their relationship was casual.

"He always said that I didn't care about him, that I didn't recognize the things he did for me. I made a point of throwing it in the face," Momenso said. "The moment he fell, just before the Alexandre Pires show, he wanted to resume this discussion. I said: 'Please, let's enjoy the cruise.'"

However, Candreva allegedly jumped off the cruise ship early Saturday morning.

"There were people on the side, there was even someone to hold them back, but no one reacted. I was close to the stairs, there was no way I could run after him. It was very quick," Momenso noted of Candreva leaping off the cruise ship.

According to Momenso, Candreva's last words before jumping off the cruise ship were: "Do you doubt it?"

Candreva reportedly jumped off the cruise ship approximately 25 miles off the coast of São Sebastião, on the north coast of São Paulo.

The Brazilian Navy launched a search mission to find Candreva, which has fruitless thus far.

MSC said in a statement, "A thorough search was carried out on board and it was confirmed that the guest intentionally jumped overboard. The incident was immediately reported to the competent authorities and the Coast Guard released the ship to continue its journey."

Momenso reportedly required medical attention following Candreva’s jump. She disembarked the cruise the next day after speaking to police.

"Carlos was a person full of light, happy. But, over time, his shine faded," Momenso said. "He said that everything in his life was fine, except the love part, because he wanted to win me over. His goal in life was for me to be his girlfriend. He did what he could and what he couldn’t in pursuit of that."

Candreva's family blames Momenso for the tragic incident.

"Carlos was practically bankrupt. She consumed him financially. He paid for the trip, because it was her dream. He freaked out. She will never admit it, but she is responsible for what happened. She didn’t play him, but she was the one who made him get to that point”, said Christiane Mota – Candreva's sister.

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Carlos Mota Candreva: Tragic Journey's End - YouTuber DJ's Heart-Wrenching Leap from Cruise Ship www.youtube.com

Teen goes overboard the largest cruise ship in the world, family says officials 'barely telling us anything'



A teen went overboard while vacationing on the largest cruise ship in the world earlier this week. The search is ongoing, but the teen's family said officials have "barely" provided any updates on the missing cruise passenger lost at sea.

Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a passenger went overboard during a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas ship. Sigmund Ropich, a Texas native, reportedly went overboard into the Caribbean Sea when the cruise ship was off the coast of Cuba.

Rhode Island resident Jenna Izzo, who is on the cruise ship, told CNN that the ship's captain made an announcement that a passenger had gone overboard on Tuesday. She recalled that the captain was going to turn the ship around so a search and rescue operation could be conducted. However, after an unfruitful three-hour search, the cruise ship continued to the next destination port of Grand Cayman, according to Izzo.

The Cuban Border Guard began a search and rescue mission.

Savannah Ropich, Sigmund's sister, said on Friday that the U.S. Consulate informed the family that the Cuban Border Guard is "going to stop the ocean search and are only doing a coastal and land search."

Savannah Ropich told CNN, "We just want our brother home. They’re taking too long and barely telling us anything."

"I just want my brother home," Savannah wrote in a Facebook post. "He is a son, a big and a little brother, a cousin, an uncle, a nephew, a friend, a homie, a classmate, a co-worker, a neighbor."

Royal Caribbean issued a statement on Wednesday that said the ship’s onboard crew "immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities."

Savannah said her brother was enjoying the cruise with friends when he went overboard from the 230,000-ton vessel.

It is not currently known how Ropich fell off the massive cruise ship.

The Wonder of the Seas set sail on a 7-day cruise starting on Aug. 27, when it departed from Port Canaveral, Florida. The 19-year-old college student went overboard on the second day of the cruise. The Wonder of the Seas is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard will conduct an investigation into the overboard incident when the ship returns to the U.S., according to a spokesperson.

The Wonder of the Seas is 1,188 feet long and features 18 decks. The largest cruise ship in the world has a capacity of 7,084 passengers and 2,204 crew members. Wonder of the Seas first launched in March 2022.

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