Sheriff's Office Investigating Circumstances of Father-Daughter Who Went Overboard on Disney Cruise
The father and daughter were both successfully rescued by the Disney cruise crew
The Broward County Sheriff's Office shared in a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, July 1, that the office is investigating "the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard"Authorities are investigating the incident that prompted a father to heroically save his daughter, who fell overboard on a Disney cruise this weekend, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
On Sunday, June 29, the Disney Dream was returning from a four-night cruise in the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. During the cruise's stop at Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in Bannerman Town, Bahamas, a 5-year-old girl fell overboard from the ship's fourth deck and was rescued by her father, who jumped in after her. The Disney rescue team immediately responded, and both were saved.
'The Disney crew was well prepared,' a representative for the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to PEOPLE. 'Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue.'
The statement continued, noting that 'while there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious, Broward Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard.'
'This family is so blessed,' the representative said. 'It's great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome.'
'The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," Disney Cruise Line said in a previous statement to PEOPLE. "We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes."
'We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests," Disney Cruise Line added in their statement to PEOPLE, "and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.'
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A passenger named Chandler, who asked to be identified only by her first name, recalled the incident for PEOPLE. 'There was some kind of commotion,' the passenger said. 'Then this awful scream from what I assume is the mother and then this massive splash.'
'It sounded like hitting pavement, nothing like if you jump into a pool, it was so loud," she added, noting that it occurred while the ship was traveling between Nassau and Grand Bahama Island.
She and her family then went to the balcony to get a better look at the commotion. Then around 15 seconds later, what appeared to be a life vest was dropped into the water. Then, over the loudspeaker, someone called 'MOB [Man overboard] port side,' and three more flotation devices were thrown in.
Chandler, who shared footage of the rescue on TikTok, said a crew of four dropped off the ship and into a rescue boat, where the man and his daughter were pulled out of the water and onto the vessel.
Chandler claimed that the incident began at 11:15 a.m. and the duo was pulled up at 11:47 a.m. local time.
'I didn't think they'd find them,' she candidly told PEOPLE. 'I had to tell my own 9-year-old daughter Harper they were probably gone [because] they usually can't find people who fall.'
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