Cruise Passenger Jumps Overboard To Avoid $16K Gambling Debt In Puerto Rico

A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger allegedly jumped off a ship near the Port of San Juan to avoid paying more than $16,000 in gambling debt, authorities reported.

Jey Gonzalez-Diaz had boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas on August 31, 2025, for a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise. During the trip, he reportedly racked up $16,710.24 in casino and gaming expenses, which Royal Caribbean confirmed investigators, according to court documents.

The cruise returned to Puerto Rico on September 7, and as the ship was disembarking around 9:15 a.m. local time, Gonzalez-Diaz jumped into the water, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Surveillance footage showed a passing jet ski rider helping him reach shore.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers later apprehended Gonzalez-Diaz near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building. At the time, he was carrying $14,600 in cash, two cell phones, a handbag, and five different identification cards, roughly $2,000 less than his alleged casino debt.

Gonzalez-Diaz told authorities in Spanish that he jumped because he “did not want to report the currency on his possession” and feared it would be taxed as duties. Investigators found he had booked the cruise under the name Jeremy Diaz.

Further checks revealed that some of his identification matched a Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz, who had been in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, since January.

Gonzalez-Diaz claimed the man in custody was his brother. When asked for his full name, he reportedly responded: “[i]f you guys were good at your job, you would know that.”

Authorities have charged Gonzalez-Diaz with attempting to evade monetary reporting requirements when traveling into the U.S., a federal crime. If convicted, he could face a fine of up to $250,000, a maximum five-year prison sentence, or both.

Local media reported that Gonzalez-Diaz was released on bail while the case proceeds through the court system.

References: cruisehive, nypost

Source: Maritime Shipping News