What happened to Ronnie Peale Jr? Search for missing Virginia man on a carnival cruise intensifies

On Monday, May 29, Virginia man Ronnie Peale Jr went missing after he went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship. Ronnie Peale Jr was on the ship with his partner, Jennilyn Michelle Blosser. According to the Independent, the victim fell from the ship while it was in the Atlantic Ocean, almost 200 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. Rescue teams are still searching for his body.

According to WTKR, at the time of the accident, the Carnival cruise ship was heading from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Bahamas. The ship has since returned to Norfolk.

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The circumstances that led to Ronnie Peale Jr's drowning

The Carnival cruise ship reportedly set off from Norfolk on May 25. Ronnie Peale Jr was on the ship to celebrate Jennilyn Michelle Blosser's birthday. Blosser later told local news outlets that the trip marked their first cruise.

Blosser said that during the course of the cruise, Peale enjoyed himself while drinking, gambling, and socializing. Blosser said:

“This was Ronnie’s first cruise and thankfully he had a great time and made plenty of friends. He is our social butterfly that was always on the move and loved to make friends with everyone.”

As per the Coast Guard statement, Peale was last seen on surveillance cameras at 4:10 am on Monday. The footage indicated that he was leaning over the balcony, but accidentally went overboard. Passengers of the cruise ship said that throughout the day, ship personnel called for Peale over the intercom.

Another passenger, Leevon Porter, said that several security teams were also searching the ship for any sign of Peale. It was only confirmed that he had gone missing on Monday afternoon, hours after he disappeared. Security only confirmed that Peale was overboard after reviewing the surveillance footage.

Several passengers said that they only discovered that Ronnie Peale Jr had gone missing through one of Blosser's Facebook posts. Soon after, the Carnival cruise headed back to Norfolk, as search teams combed the Atlantic for any sign of the victim.

A spokesperson from Carnival Cruise Line acknowledged the incident in a statement:

“He was reported missing by his companion late Monday afternoon and an initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning."

In the wake of Peale's disappearance, Jennilyn Blosser started a GoFundMe page in order to help pay for the victim's funeral expenses. As of May 31, the initiative has raised $945 of a $20,000 goal. Peale's body has not yet been recovered.