{"id":23015,"date":"2025-08-08T22:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T22:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=23015"},"modified":"2025-08-08T22:53:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T22:53:16","slug":"the-dad-who-risked-everything-to-save-his-5-year-old-daughter-after-she-fell-overboard-on-a-disney-cruise-is-finally-breaking-his-silence-and-hes-not-holding-back-for-days-the-inter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=23015","title":{"rendered":"The dad who risked everything to save his 5-year-old daughter after she fell overboard on a Disney Cruise is finally breaking his silence\u2014and he\u2019s not holding back. For days, the internet buzzed with harsh rumors, accusing him of carelessness, claiming he\u2019d placed his daughter on the railing. But now, he\u2019s setting the record straight: that never happened. Not even close. What really unfolded was a heart-stopping accident\u2014one of those blink-and-it\u2019s-too-late moments every parent dreads."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Broward County Sheriff\u2019s Office is investigating the harrowing incident, in which a father jumped in after his daughter who fell from a balcony<\/p>\n

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The father who saved his 5-year-old daughter after she fell overboard on a Disney Cruise did not place his child on the railing, as online rumors previously speculated.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, June 29, the\u00a0Disney Dream<\/em>\u00a0cruise ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from a four-night cruise in the Bahamas when the little girl fell overboard from the ship\u2019s fourth deck. Her father jumped in after her and both were subsequently pulled from the water and returned to the boat by a Disney rescue team.<\/p>\n

The Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday morning that the little girl was not being held by her father on the railing at the time of the fall. They acknowledged to CBS News that the information was \u201cerroneously reported on some social media sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Wednesday evening, PIO Veda Coleman-Wright shared additional details from the ongoing investigation, including that the girl \u201clost her balance while sitting on a railing and [fell] backward through a porthole.\u201d She added, \u201cAfter the girl\u2019s mother alerted her husband, who didn\u2019t see the incident, he jumped into the ocean to save his daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Disney Dream cruise ship. Finnbarr Webster\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The father, 37, who has not been named, was transported to an area hospital after the ship docked in Port Everglades, Fla. Monday morning and treated for an unspecified injury.<\/p>\n

The Sheriff\u2019s Office applauded the rescue efforts. In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday night, a representative wrote, \u201cThe Disney crew was well prepared. Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there doesn\u2019t appear to be anything suspicious,\u00a0Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives are investigating the circumstances\u00a0that led up to the child falling overboard,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n

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\"A
A rescue boat a crew bring the father and daughter who fell overboard back to the cruise ship. life of chandler\/tiktok<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A passenger onboard the ship named Chandler, who asked to be identified only by her first name, recalled the events for PEOPLE. \u201cThere was some kind of commotion,\u201d the passenger said. \u201cThen this awful scream from what I assume is the mother and then this massive splash.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chandler noted the events occurred while traveling between Nassau and Grand Bahama Island: \u201cIt sounded like hitting pavement, nothing like if you jump into a pool, it was so loud.\u201d<\/p>\n

She and her family went to the balcony to get a better look and 15 seconds later, what appeared to be a life vest was dropped into the water. Over the loudspeaker the family heard someone call \u201cMOB [Man overboard] port side,\u201d and three more flotation devices were thrown in.<\/p>\n

Within minutes, a crew of four dropped off the ship and into a rescue boat. Chandler\u2019s\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0footage shows rescue workers reaching the father and daughter, pulling them out of the water and safely bringing them back to the ship.<\/p>\n

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\"The
The \u2018Disney Dream\u2019 cruise ship docked in Port Canaveral, Florida. Paul Hennessy\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Chandler claimed that the incident began at 11:15 a.m. and the duo was pulled up at 11:47 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think they\u2019d find them,\u201d she candidly told PEOPLE. \u201cI had to tell my own 9-year-old daughter Harper they were probably gone [because] they usually can\u2019t find people who fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water,\u201d Disney Cruise Line said in a statement to PEOPLE. \u201cWe commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cWe are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Broward County Sheriff\u2019s Office is investigating the harrowing incident, in which a father jumped in after his daughter who fell from a balcony The father who… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThe dad who risked everything to save his 5-year-old daughter after she fell overboard on a Disney Cruise is finally breaking his silence\u2014and he\u2019s not holding back. For days, the internet buzzed with harsh rumors, accusing him of carelessness, claiming he\u2019d placed his daughter on the railing. But now, he\u2019s setting the record straight: that never happened. Not even close. 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