THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING THE FALL OF THE CARNIVAL CRUISE PASSENGER WHO IS MISSING AFTER GOING OVERBOARD ON HIS FIRST CRUISE: REPORT

  • The FBI is investigating the fall of a Carnival cruise passenger who fell overboard on his first cruise, per Fox News Digital.
  • 35-year-old Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. was returning to Virginia from the Bahamas at the time of the incident on Monday.
  • The United States Coast Guard said late on Wednesday that it has suspended search efforts for Peale.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the fall of a Carnival cruise passenger who fell overboard on his first cruise, Fox News Digital reported on Wednesday.

The passenger, 35-year-old Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., was on a Carnival cruise ship returning to Virginia from the Bahamas at the time of the incident.

He was reported missing by his fiancée late Monday afternoon, the cruise ship operator told Insider's Natalie Musumeci and Hannah Towey on Tuesday.

It was his first-ever cruise, his fiancée Jennilyn Michelle Blosser told WTKR.

 

Insider could not reach the FBI via phone outside regular business hours. A spokesperson for the federal agency's Norfolk field office told Fox the FBI is the lead investigating agency for the incident.

"The FBI typically has jurisdiction to investigate incidents on the high seas and works closely with our partners in law enforcement and in the cruising industry to collect the evidence and facts of cases," the spokesperson told the media outlet.

The United States Coast Guard said late on Wednesday that it has suspended search efforts for Peale.

"The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale's family and friends," the US Coast Guard said in a statement.

  

Peale Jr. "loved the cruise life," Blosser told WTKR. "Being able to drink, gamble, and socialize put him in his happy place."

Carnival Cruise said in a statement to Insider on Tuesday that a review of close-circuit security video footage showed Peale Jr. "leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning."

2023-06-01T06:13:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd