Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas
Crew Member Accused of Stabbing Coworker Before Jumping From Ship

Published July 26, 2025 12:25 PM PDT

A Royal Caribbean crew member who died after going overboard on the Icon of the Seas ship reportedly jumped into the water after allegedly stabbing a co-worker.

The employee, identified as a 35-year-old South African man, was found unresponsive in the water by rescue team members after jumping overboard off the coast of the Bahamas, on Tuesday, July 24, NBC affiliate WTVJ reported. 

According to the Royal Bahamian Police, per the outlet, the man allegedly stabbed another crew member, identified as a 28-year-old South African woman, “multiple times” before fleeing and jumping into the water. He was later found unresponsive in the ocean and pronounced dead by onboard medical staff.

In footage posted on TikTok, passengers on the cruise ship are seen gathering by the sides of the ship and looking across the water. One person is heard saying that they can see the man who went overboard in the sea.

Another clip shared shows a man lying motionless on a rescue boat while surrounded by medical team members as the boat is being pulled up from the water and onto the cruise ship.

The woman was stabbed in the upper body area and is in a stable condition after receiving treatment, WTVJ reported.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement, per the outlet, “Our onboard security team responded to an incident involving two crew members in a personal dispute. One of the crew members was injured, was attended to by the onboard medical team and she is now in stable condition.

“Unfortunately, the other crew member is deceased after he went overboard and was recovered in a search and rescue operation.”

The ship was heading to the Bahamas’ CocoCay when the man went overboard at around 7:00 p.m. local time from the ship’s port side, Cruise Hive and Fox affiliate WSVN reported. Life preservers were then dropped from the ship to mark the man’s location and begin a rescue, according to the outlets.

A cruise line spokesperson previously confirmed the man’s death to PEOPLE in a statement, saying, “Our crew immediately initiated a search and rescue operation, but unfortunately the crew member passed away.”

An autopsy is being carried out to determine the cause of death, per WTVJ.

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PEOPLE has reached out to the Royal Caribbean and Royal Bahamian Police for comment.

Amy Bradley went missing from the Rhapsody of the Seas Royal Caribbean cruise ship in March 1998 — and the ship is still in use today.

According to the Royal Caribbean website, the 915-ft-long boat embarked on its maiden voyage in May 1997, less than one year before Amy vanished without a trace while on a cruise with her family.

The Rhapsody of the Seas, which has the capacity for 2,416 passengers, was revitalized in 2012 and is still sailing today. The ship currently makes trips taking off from Tampa, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Upcoming Rhapsody of the Seas cruises include stops in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, the Cayman Islands, St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbados, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Lucia, and Curaçao.

Amy went missing on March 24, 1998. Her family noticed her absence as the Rhapsody of the Seas was approaching the dock in Curaçao. Amy’s father, Ron Bradley, was the last member of the family to see her alive. He saw her sleeping on the balcony of the family’s cabin at around 5:30 a.m. When he woke up again about half an hour later, Amy was nowhere to be found.

The Bradleys asked cruise ship personnel to wait until Amy was found before letting passengers off the boat in Curaçao, but that didn’t happen. Other guests were able to leave the ship before the search for Amy was conducted, which made it difficult to determine whether she fell or jumped off the boat, walked off with the rest of the guests, or met with foul play.

Kirk Detweiler, who was the cruise director for Rhapsody of the Seas when Amy was onboard, thinks Amy jumped or fell, but not everyone is convinced. Some suspect that cruise ship bass player Alistir Douglas could’ve been involved somehow. Even his daughter, Amica Douglas, isn’t convinced of his innocence.

READ MORE: Where is Amy Bradley’s family now, 27 years after her disappearance?

Amica participated in the Netflix docuseries “Amy Bradley Is Missing,” which premiered on July 16. She recalled her mother telling her that Alistir had a suitcase full of pictures of white women and acted strange when he returned home from Amy’s cruise. Alistir was seen dancing with Amy the night before her disappearance, but he has vehemently denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Another theory is that Amy fell victim to sex trafficking. Several people claim to have seen her alive after her disappearance, with reported sightings on Curaçao, Barbados, and a website promoting prostitution.

If Amy were alive today, she would be 53 years old. Her dad, mom Iva, and brother Brad all participated in “Amy Bradley Is Missing” and are still hoping for answers about Amy’s whereabouts.

“Amy Bradley Is Missing” is available to stream on Netflix.