A 30-year-old passenger vanished after reportedly jumping off a Carnival Cruise ship while en route to Florida. The incident took place approximately 95 miles off the coast of Melbourne, leaving both authorities and the cruise line in a state of bewilderment.
The alarm was raised by relatives of the missing person, Jaylen Hill, 30, when they informed ship staff that they had not seen him all day on Sunday, July 23. Security personnel quickly reviewed the ship’s video footage to retrace his movements, and found a clip showing Hill leaping from the side of the vessel.
After an exhaustive onboard search and review of security camera footage, it was confirmed that Hill had indeed jumped overboard. The cruise operator promptly informed the authorities about the incident and received instructions to continue to its scheduled final destination in Jacksonville.
The cruise line expressed its sympathy for the missing guest and the affected relatives as they navigate this difficult situation.
The Carnival Elation vessel, which had just completed a four-day trip to the Bahamas, finally docked in Jacksonville on the morning of Monday, July 24. However, the event cast a pall over the conclusion of the journey.
As the search for Jaylen Hill continued, the Coast Guard launched an intensive operation to find the missing passenger. Making use of the resources at their disposal, they deployed the 87-foot cutter Tarpon from St. Petersburg, a Hercules aircraft from Clearwater, and an Ocean Sentry aircraft from Miami.
The search and rescue efforts were called off on Monday evening as hopes of finding Hill and fully understanding the circumstances of the incident faded.
