According to a report by CBS News, the Broward Sheriff's Office clarified to CBS News Miami on Tuesday that the "little girl was not being held," countering false claims circulating on social media that suggested her father had been holding her on the ship's railing just before the incident.
Here's the complete statement
The Broward Sheriff's Office released the following statement on the incident, "Based on media reports I have read, the Disney crew was well prepared. Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue. While there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious, Broward Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard. This family is so blessed. It's great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome. The incident involved a father and his 5-year-old daughter."
The incident occurred on the Disney Dream while it was sailing between the Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale. According to witnesses who spoke with CBS News Miami, the girl's father jumped into the water after she fell overboard and treaded water for over 10 minutes.
Cell phone footage captured him holding his daughter as they floated, before passing her to a rescue boat from the ship and then climbing aboard himself.
Watch the video here:
Disney cruise passenger Monica Shannon said she was on Deck 3 with her family, waiting to meet Disney princesses, when she witnessed something unusual. "I kind of see something really fast flew by, I didn't think anything of it," Shannon said.
She pointed out that Deck 4, where the incident happened, is typically quieter and features the ship's shuffleboard courts, according to CBS News.
Shannon also mentioned that the deck has a railing with a safety barrier in place.
"Father is a hero"
Meanwhile, Nicholas Gerson, a maritime injury attorney with Gerson & Schwartz, said the father's quick actions likely saved his daughter's life.
"Most incidents like this end in tragedy, but in this case, the father is a hero," Gerson stated.
He added that the situation was unusual because it happened during daylight hours, with witnesses present and a fast response from both the father and the ship's crew.
The Daily Mail reported that the father was able to keep his daughter afloat for about 20 minutes in the ocean until Disney Cruise Line staff reached them with a lifeboat.
Video footage posted by passenger Janice Martin-Asuque showed the rescue boat approaching the pair in choppy seas before bringing them aboard.
Netizens react
"The Disney cult owes this man an apology," wrote Collin Rugg in a post on X.
A user replied, "Why are people so obsessed with Disney? The bullishness has always been puzzling. If they knew what really went on with Disney, I bet the general public would be horrified."
Another said, "Some people suck. They will spread lies and rumors to make a good person look bad."
A user noted, "Those portholes are INSANE. Miracle toddlers aren't falling out of them all the time."
