Colorado dad identified as man who jumped off cruise ship in Caribbean
The cruise ship passenger who jumped to his death the day after Christmas was a father of four who yelled “I can’t take it anymore” — and whose elderly mom had desperately tried to grab him to stop him going over, a new report says.
Dan McGilvray, 51, has been identified as the passenger who went overboard on the Norwegian Epic cruise liner while sailing through the Bahamas on Dec. 26 — sparking a massive search and rescue mission, DailyMail.com reported, citing sources.
Bahamas investigators believe McGilvray, a financial advisor from Denver, may have experienced an adverse reaction to his seizure medication before he climbed over a balcony and leaped off the Norwegian Cruise ship.
Before jumping, he was visibly “distressed” and screamed “I can’t take it anymore,” according to the outlet’s sources.
His 75-year-old mom was among the relatives who tried to restrain him and prevent him from going overboard, the sources added.
The cruise company had previously revealed that the passenger had been traveling with a “large group that included his family” at the time of the incident.
He went overboard at about 3 p.m. as the luxury ship sailed from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas as part of a seven-day cruise, according to authorities.
“Preliminary reports indicate that sometime around 3 p.m. the victim became distressed and despite attempts to restrain him, he jumped from a balcony into the sea,” cops said in a statement.
The local coast guard and ship personnel scoured the water for the missing man but were unable to locate him, authorities added.
Video shared by a fellow Norwegian Epic passenger on social media showed people on their balconies scouring the sea for any sign of the man.
“They put up a flare, they’re circulating, we did an entire circle looking for the guy that jumped off the boat,” a passenger could be heard saying.
“He jumped, he fell and bounced off of one of these and fell into the water.”
The ship, which set off from Florida’s Port Canaveral, returned to the Sunshine State on Dec. 28.
