Royal Caribbean passenger plunged 90ft to death after 'jumping from running track'

The passenger who leapt from the biggest cruise ship in the world on Sunday dropped a whopping 90 feet to his death after jumping from the running track, according to a source.

On the first day of the week-long journey, the man—who has not been named—leapt from the running track on the fifth deck of Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, a security team member said on Saturday morning as the ship arrived back in Miami .

The service member indicated that since each deck is around 20 feet high, the man fell from a height of about 90 feet. They claim staff on board knew what had happened before he even hit the water.

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Crew members told the New York Post the man's body was driven in a van to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office. At the ports, police also met the ship, obtained statements, and obtained a copy of the CCTV film showing the tragic event. A member of the security team said: "Almost immediately after the man jumped on May 26, the overboard detection system was activated, prompting onboard staff to take action."

"We knew what had happened literally seconds after he hit the water. The protocol is that we’re supposed to immediately make visual contact to see if we can spot him,” the source said, noting that one guard also saw the man jump on a security camera feed.

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“It’s the captain’s call whether to stop and turn around, and he did,” he added. The ship's specialized security team got ready to launch a rescue boat to retrieve the individual as soon as the alarm was raised.

According to the crew member, who wished to remain anonymous, the Coast Guard was also informed and promptly dispatched an aircraft to the scene, while the remainder of the security team was positioned at designated lookout points to conduct a 360-degree survey of the surrounding waterways.

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The medical staff of the Icon of the Seas was placed on high alert while the possible rescue was ongoing. According to a member of the ship's medical staff, there were paramedics, nurses, former ER doctors, and even a surgeon on board, along with all the life-saving supplies one would expect to find in a tiny hospital. The source went on to say that it's probable the man was dead when he was pulled from the sea.

The crew member stated that after his body was taken to the medical bay, the onboard physician declared him dead. The passenger's body was subsequently kept in the eight-drawer on-board morgue. The medical team member reported that during the week-long journey, which included stops in Honduras, Mexico, and the Bahamas, there were no other deaths on board.