A 5-year-old girl who plummeted 50 feet into the ocean off a Disney cruise ship was asked to pose in front of an open porthole by her mother just moments earlier, authorities in Florida have said.
A shocking police report states that the young child lost her balance while standing in front of a porthole on the Disney Dream cruise ship, falling into the water below at 11:29 a.m. on June 29.
Her father dove in after her 45 seconds later, and was praised for his heroism, before rumors later spread claiming that he had lifted his daughter up onto the railing for a photo before she slipped.
But authorities now say that it was the girl’s mother who encouraged her daughter to get up onto the railing.
Criminal charges were recommended against the mother, but after finding that the incident didn’t equate to “criminal culpable negligence,” Florida’s state attorney declined to prosecute, the Daily Mail reported.
Both parents were questioned by Broward County Sheriff’s deputies and gave identical accounts matching that of the security camera footage.
The family was reportedly walking along deck four when the mom said she pointed to the opening and “offered for her daughter to take a picture in the porthole,” according to the police report.
“[The mom] assumed the porthole had a window or plexiglass, and she thought that [her daughter] would be caught by the glass, but instead, she kept falling,” the report stated.
The mom later told officers she had taken several other photos of her daughter on the ship’s railings during the trip.
“She provided me with a picture of [the girl] laying in a porthole with a window on it,” the report stated.
During the fateful incident, the mom took multiple pictures so that, “when streamed together, [they] depict a seconds-long video of the child getting up on the railing and falling backwards into the water,” one of the deputies said.
The mom stated that “she felt like there should be coverings on the windows,” adding that “Disney is responsible for what occurred,” according to the report.
The detectives poured scorn on the claim after inspecting the ship.
“Upon looking at the window myself, as a prudent person, I immediately saw that the window was open to the air, and did not have a covering,” Detective Christopher Favitta with the sheriff’s office wrote in his report.
“This act, facilitated by [the mother] placed the child in a life-threatening situation. As a result, the child fell from the ship and into the water, in an avoidable accident,” he added.
At the time, the soon-to-be-villified father was about 10 feet ahead of his family and didn’t see what had happened.
Read more on the Disney Dream cruise scare
- Bystander praised for comforting girl who fell off Disney cruise before being saved by hero dad is ID’d as ship’s head doctor
- Authorities reveal how young Disney cruise passenger, 5, fell off ship after hero dad rescued her in open sea, faced rumors
- Hero dad on Disney cruise did not place daughter on railing before her horrifying plunge, investigation reveals
- Hero dad dives into sea to save daughter who fell from Disney Dream cruise — treading water for 20 minutes before they’re pulled to safety
After he turned around and “observed his daughter in the water,” the father “initially ran to get help but, after approximately 45 seconds, decided to jump into the ocean to attempt a rescue,” the officers wrote.
While the was happening, the mom “screamed for help and tried to maintain visual contact with both the child and her husband as the ship turned.”
The ship was returning to Florida from the Bahamas when the incident happened.
The father couldn’t see his daughter, but was able to follow her yelling and “eventually [was] able to reach her and tread water with her until they were rescued,” the report stated.
A mayday call was issued onboard the ship, and just three minutes after the fall, a yellow motorized rescue boat had been readied.
By 11:50, the pair had beenn rescued.
The girl was kept under observation in the ship’s medical bay before both her and her father were taken to Broward Health Medical Center back on shore.
Miraculously, the girl suffered no injuries, while her father was treated for an unspecified ailment.
The father was initially praised for his heroism, until unsubstantiated rumors claimed that he was responsible for his daughter falling, forcing authorities to put out a statement absolving him of any blame.
Despite Detective Favitta’s recommendations, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office ultimately closed the case and declined to charge the mother.
“While the defendant’s conduct is arguably negligent and irresponsible, it does not rise to the egregious level of conduct necessary to establish criminal culpable negligence,” Assistant State Attorney Melissa Kelly wrote in an email on Sept. 16.
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