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We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
National
Sadik Hossain

‘Did he actually think that was gonna work?’: Man jumps off cruise ship to escape $16,000 gambling debt, gets arrested anyway

A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger attempted to escape more than $16,000 in gambling debt by jumping off the ship into the waters near Puerto Rico. The desperate plan failed immediately when jet ski riders rescued him and brought him back to shore, where authorities arrested him for federal crimes.

According to CBS News, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz was aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship that departed from the Port of San Juan on August 31, 2025, for a trip to Barbados. The ship returned to San Juan on September 7, when Gonzalez-Diaz made his escape attempt around 9:15 a.m. during U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection. Surveillance video captured the moment he jumped into the water and was quickly picked up by passersby on jet skis.

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