USCG searching for Carnival cruise ship passenger who went overboard

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Coast Guard crews are searching for a man who went overboard from the Carnival Magic cruise ship off the coast of Florida early on Monday morning.

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Officials said the 35-year-old man went overboard 186 miles east of Jacksonville.

In a statement obtained by WAVY-TV, officials with Carnival Cruise Line said the man was reported missing by his companions late on Monday afternoon.

“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 a.m. early Monday morning,” the statement said.

Jennilyn Michelle Blosser told WTKR that the man who went overboard was her husband, Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. She said the cruise was his first but that “he loved the cruise life.”

“He was the life of the party,” she said, according to WTKR. “It hurts too much to even type, let alone talk about it.”

The Carnival Magic was returning to Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday morning, days after it left the city on May 25, WVEC reported.

The Carnival Magic can carry as many as 3,690 guests and sails from Miami and Norfolk. In excursions ranging from two to more than 10 days, it makes stops that can include ports in the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean, according to Carnival Cruise Lines.