Authorities have clarified the facts surrounding a dramatic rescue at sea after a five-year-old girl fell overboard from a Disney cruise ship, pushing back against a wave of misinformation online.
The incident occurred on Sunday, June 29, as the Disney Dream was en route back to Florida from the Bahamas. Panic erupted onboard when the young girl plunged into the ocean from the ship’s fourth deck.
In a stunning display of courage, the child’s father jumped into the water moments later. According to eyewitnesses, the 37-year-old man managed to keep both himself and his daughter afloat for nearly 20 minutes until a rescue vessel retrieved them.
While many hailed the father as a hero and called the survival a “miracle,” speculation quickly spread online. Some social media users claimed the man had carelessly placed his daughter on a 3.5-foot railing to take a photo, from which she allegedly fell backward into the sea.
But in a statement issued Wednesday, July 2, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office firmly debunked those claims.
Sheriff Gregory Tony clarified that the girl had been sitting on the railing near a porthole when she accidentally toppled backward into the water. Contrary to online rumors, her father did not place her there—nor did he witness the fall.
“After the girl’s mother alerted her husband, who didn’t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter,” Tony explained. “BSO detectives said after the 37-year-old father found his daughter, he treaded water until they were rescued by a tender that was launched from the ship.”
CCTV footage and testimony from Disney Dream staff confirmed this version of events, authorities said.
The father was later hospitalized after the ship returned to shore due to injuries sustained during the rescue, though officials have not disclosed the specifics.
Sheriff Tony also commended the cruise ship’s crew for their swift response: “The crew’s ‘man overboard’ training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue.”
The entire rescue operation—from the moment of the fall to the recovery—took approximately 20 minutes, and both the father and daughter were evaluated by the ship’s medical team afterward.
The sheriff’s office said it released the statement to counter online misinformation.
“This family is incredibly fortunate,” Sheriff Tony said. “It’s a relief to be able to share good news instead of what could have been a heartbreaking tragedy.”
The investigation remains ongoing as officials continue to gather more details.
