Father of cruise passenger, 20, who jumped overboard ship speaks out for first time since the incident

After a man jumped off a cruise ship into the Bahama Ocean, his father has said he believes he is still alive in the sea.

Levion Parker, 20, was last seen jumping off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

His father Francel Parker told the Daily Sun: “As soon as he went off the side, I prayed over him.

"I was confident the prayers I said over my son were heard. I stand on the word of God. I believe he is alive.”

According to reports, he allegedly jumped off an 18-story Liberty of the Seas boat around 4am in front of his younger brother and dad after getting into an argument with his father.

But Francel explained that he wasn’t actually arguing with his son and that there’s no way his son was trying to take his own life.

He went on to explain that his son is a skilled diver who works on fishing boats.

The 20-year-old was seen jumping from the cruise ship (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Another passenger told The Post that Francel had been ‘fussing at [Levion]’ before he jumped overboard.

Bryan Sims told The Post that he had been hanging out with the two brothers in the hot tub early hours in the morning and that later that day he bumped into the family near the elevators.

He said following an argument with his family, Levion 'jumped out the window in front of us all'

Another guest, Deborah Morrison told The Post: “There was a lot of yelling, and the crew was alerted immediately.

“His family was horrified. Just beside themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.”

The man’s father claimed to have thrown over six life rings in the hopes of saving his son before the giant ship could come to a stop 20 minutes later where the Royal Caribbean launched search boats.

Levion Parker jumped from the cruise ship (Instagram/ levionparker)

However, he was never found, and the Coast Guard called off the search.

Royal Caribbean told the New York Post in a statement at the time of the incident: "The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search.

“Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said: "The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the 20-year-old pending the development of new information.”

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told LADbible Group: "Our hearts go out to the family, and we continue to offer them our support and assistance during this difficult time.

"Our policies strictly prohibit guests under the age of 21 from being served alcohol onboard."

Topics: Travel, Food and Drink

Britt Jones