Officials are searching for a man who went overboard while traveling on a Carnival cruise ship this week.
The victim, a 35-year-old man, was riding on the Carnival Magic ship when he went overboard on Monday, according to a statement from the United States Coast Guard’s Southeast division. The boat was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla., at the time
Carnival Cruise Line said a person who was traveling with the man, identified as Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. by family, reported the incident late Monday afternoon, according to CBS affiliate WTKR and NBC affiliate WAVY.
“It just hurts too much to even type, let alone talk about it,” fiancée Jennilyn Michelle Blosser told WTKR. “This was his first cruise.”
On a GoFundMe page, she said they went on the trip to celebrate her birthday.
A Carnival spokesperson said that “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,” per WTKR and WAVY.
The ship, which was traveling from Virginia to the Bahamas, began its voyage Thursday but returned on Tuesday morning amid the search for the missing passenger, according to WTKR.
Carnival Cruise Lines and the Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Passengers told WTKR that they heard the man’s name over the intercom on multiple occasions before they learned that someone had gone overboard. Two passengers also told the outlet they found out what happened after the victim’s wife shared a post on Facebook.
As search efforts continue, Blosser asked that people “please keep our family in your prayers and thanks for your support.”
“This was Ronnie’s first cruise and thankfully he had a great time and made plenty of friends. He is our social butterfly that was always on the move and loved to make friends with everyone,” she added. “I never could of imagine[d] something like this could happen. Devastated to say the least.”