(BIVN) – A missing person investigation was launched Friday after a cruise ship passenger reportedly fell overboard about 8 miles off Hilo.
Hawai‘i Island police say the 59-year-old man, identified as Kenneth Schwalbe of California, fell overboard early Friday morning, August 11. Schwalbe is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 140 pounds with brown hair.
From the police news release:
Police received a report at 8:40 a.m. Friday morning that Schwalbe was last seen on Thursday, August 10, at 8:30 p.m. A search of the vessel yielded negative results, thus prompting the ship’s security personnel to notify local authorities.
The United States Coast Guard was notified and a maritime search was initiated. The ship was slated to dock in Hilo. Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded to the scene at the Hilo port.
Officers reviewed video surveillance footage taken at 4:18 a.m. Friday morning, August 11, from a camera positioned on the exterior of the ninth deck of the ship. The footage depicted a person believed to be Schwalbe falling from the ship.
Based on the time of the video footage combined with the ship’s coordinates, it was determined by the ship’s captain that the vessel was approximately 8 miles offshore Hilo when the incident occurred.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section will be continuing this investigation and ask anyone with information on this incident to contact the police department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.
by Big Island Video News11:50 pm
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STORY SUMMARY
HAWAIʻI ISLAND - It was determined that the vessel was approximately 8 miles offshore Hilo when the 59-year-old man fell overboard.