By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunmedia.net

VIDEOS circulating on TikTok show the final moments of a 35-year-old South African man who went overboard on Friday after stabbing a female crew member multiple times aboard the Icon of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship.

Police said the man, who was also a crew member, allegedly stabbed a 28-year-old South African woman around 7pm before jumping into the sea.

He was later pulled from the water unresponsive and pronounced dead by the ship’s medical team. The female victim sustained injuries to her upper body and was treated onboard. She is reportedly in stable condition.

One video shows a black man in a short-sleeved blue shirt, moments before he is retrieved from the water. In subsequent footage, a rescue boat carries him as personnel perform CPR and support his body.

In another video, a passenger questions why the man jumped overboard. At the time, many other guests were heard expressing hope that he would survive. Some passengers later said they were unaware of the stabbing when he jumped.

Some videos also show guests clapping after the man was retrieved from the sea.

One woman, a passenger whose footage went viral, said she had just returned from dinner with her family and was sitting on her room’s balcony when she heard shouting. She said the yelling grew aggressive, and then she heard a bang followed by a splash.

When she rushed to look, she saw the man overboard.

She praised the cruise line’s swift response, saying it appeared staff had anticipated his jump. She noted that crew members immediately began throwing lifebuoys into the water.

In the comment sections of several videos, some users claimed the man was related to them.

This incident comes weeks after another tragedy involving a South African crew member. On July 3, 20-year-old Paige Bell, a stewardess aboard the 43-metre charter yacht Far From It, was found dead in the vessel’s engine room in Harbour Island.

Police said she had injuries to her neck and arms. A male crew member found nearby with serious wounds to his arms was taken into custody.