A 59-year-old passenger named Kenneth Schwalbe from California disappeared while aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises. It is now assumed that he has passed away.
The individual was last seen on the evening of August 10th at 8:30 pm onboard Emerald Princess. His absence was noted the following morning when he could not be located.
Upon receiving the report of the missing person, the USCG initiated a search along the northern coastline, and police investigators met the cruise ship as it docked at its initial stop in Port Hilo.
After reviewing surveillance footage from the Emerald Princess, law enforcement officers observed a man falling from deck 9 at 4:18 am on Friday. Deck 9 is also known as the dolphin deck and offers balconies without cover, mainly accessible to passengers booking adjacent suites. Authorities have reason to believe that the individual captured in the video is the missing passenger.
At the time of the incident, the cruise ship, belonging to the Crown class, was on a 16-night voyage around Hawaii. Departing from Los Angeles CA on August 5th, the itinerary included stops in Hilo, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili. However, due to wildfires damaging the Lahaina Harbor in Maui, the ship will replace its last port of call with the Port of Kailua Kona before returning to California.
For more Emerald Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.