California Father Identified as Passenger Who Jumped From Carnival Panorama
Authorities identify Thomas Gigler, a California father, as the passenger who went overboard on a Carnival cruise. Investigation into the incident continues.
POLICY WIRE — Redlands, USA — A Southern California man has been identified as the passenger who went overboard from the Carnival Panorama during a voyage off the coast of Mexico last week. Thomas Gigler, 56, a computer programmer for Esri, was traveling with his wife, Michelle, 48, to mark their 15th wedding anniversary.
The incident occurred on the final day of a seven-night cruise along the Baja peninsula. Gigler, a father of three sons aged nine, 11, and 13, resided in Redlands, east of Los Angeles. His family reported him missing, but he has not yet been located.
His sister, Wendy Dowden, expressed deep confusion regarding the circumstances of his disappearance. She stated that they are at a loss to why he would have gone overboard, adding that they believe something must have happened in his head and that he was not in his right mind to have done this.
Fellow passenger Tommy McGraw, 55, of Kentucky, described the atmosphere on the ship as the crew initiated emergency protocols. Passengers were instructed to return to their staterooms for approximately two hours while staff conducted room-to-room accountability checks and scanned sail and sign cards.
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McGraw noted that the captain eventually informed passengers that a review of onboard CCTV footage confirmed a guest had jumped overboard. The ship subsequently turned back to continue its scheduled return to California.
In the wake of the tragedy, passengers created a makeshift memorial using toy ducks, a common tradition among cruise travelers, to honor the missing man. Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that the ship’s team initiated search and investigation procedures, including notifying both the U.S. and Mexico Coast Guards.
A spokesperson for the cruise line stated that the company is providing support to the family members who were traveling with Gigler. The investigation into the event remains ongoing.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
