On November 4, 2019, while the NCL Breakaway ship was at sea (en-route from Florida to Puerto Rico), a male passenger brutally assaulted a female passenger. After a heavy chase inside the liner, the woman was brutally beaten, suffering heavy jaw and arm fractures. The incident was confirmed by CCTV footage of the assault and by witnesses.
On November 5, FBI agents backed by the USCG boarded the cruise ship and arrested the man (Jeff Smiley III). After berthing in Port San Juan, he was handed over to the local police and charged with two assault charges. If proven guilty, he could receive at least 5 years of a prison sentence.
The incident occurred at the beginning of a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Nov 3-10) roundtrip from homeport Miami to Puerto Rico (San Juan, Nov 5, docking time 5:30 pm), USVI (Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas Island) and BVI (Road Town, Tortola Island).
For other NCL Breakaway accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.