Man On Cruise Ship Jumps Overboard To Avoid $17,000 Gambling Debt

In all my years reporting on the news, I have never encountered a story like this.

A man accused of owing $17,000 in gambling debt on a cruise ship allegedly jumped overboard in an attempt to avoid paying the debt.

Customs and Border Protection officers captured Jey Gonzalez-Diaz after he fled the Royal Caribbean cruise ship on which he was a passenger.

Fox News reported more on the events that led up to the Gonzalez-Diaz jumping overboard:

A man accused of owing a cruise line nearly $17,000 in gambling debt allegedly jumped off a ship to avoid paying.

Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, who was booked under the passenger name of “Jeremy Diaz,” was detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers around 9:45 a.m. Sunday near the Port of San Juan, after he allegedly jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas during disembarkation, according to a criminal complaint.

Security footage shows Gonzalez-Diaz being brought to shore by two passing Jet Skis.

CBP officers said they found $14,600 in U.S. currency, one backpack, one handbag, two mobile devices and five identification documents in Gonzalez-Diaz’s possession.

When asked why he jumped off the ship, he allegedly told officers in Spanish, that he “did not want to report the currency on his possession because he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bring in the currency,” the complaint states.

The cruise line told investigators that Gonzalez-Diaz “had a $16,710.24 debt” that “was almost exclusively associated to Casino and Gaming expenses.”

Here are some photos of CBP officers arresting him:

Jumping ship to avoid a $16,000 gambling debt? 🎲 A man on a Royal Caribbean cruise allegedly did just that. He was caught on camera leaping off the Rhapsody of the Seas in San Juan and is now facing a federal charge. (Source: CBS News)

Read more: https://t.co/vfgO8kKbDD pic.twitter.com/l5x7E9dJaA

— AOL.com (@AOL) September 10, 2025

Cruise ship passenger in Puerto Rico jumps overboard allegedly to avoid $16,000 gambling debt https://t.co/CTI0zZ3I3o

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 10, 2025

CBS reported Gonzalez-Diaz may spend up to five years behind bars:

Upon further investigation, Royal Caribbean told investigators that Gonzalez-Diaz was booked under the name Jeremy Diaz, and that he owed $16,710.24 to the cruise line, according to the complaint. The debt was “almost exclusively associated to Casino and Gaming expenses,” the complaint said.

Other record checks of Gonzalez-Diaz’s multiple identifications also revealed that a Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz has been in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, since January, according to the complaint. Jey Gonzalez-Diaz told investigators that it was his brother.

When they asked him for his full name, he told investigators, “If you guys were good at your job, you would know that,” the complaint said.

Jey Gonzalez-Diaz was later released on bail, local media Wapa.TV reported.

If convicted, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz could face a fine up to $250,000 or a maximum five-year prison sentence, or both. It wasn’t immediately clear if he has legal representation.

Talk about a dumb crime!

You can swim, but you can’t hide!