A group of teens pulled a “man overboard” prank on a spring break cruise that prompted a full-scale search involving the US Coast Guard — and now the pranksters’ families could face jail time.
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was forced to turn around and the USCG was called to join the frantic search for a supposed passenger in the water near Cuba for 90 minutes last week before the captain announced there was, in fact, no emergency, Cruise News Today reported.
The cause of the panic was tracked to a group of teenagers who said they claimed that a passenger had fallen in the water as a joke, according to the popular YouTube travel channel.
The bogus distress call, however, could result in serious legal consequences for the teens’ families beyond any repercussions from the cruise line — which likely already entails a lifetime ban, according to Travel Host — including jail time.
Penalties for a false distress call include up to six years in prison; $250,000 criminal fine; $5,000 civil fine; and reimbursing the USCG for the cost of the search, according to the military branch’s website.
The Oasis of the Seas was able to continue on its course to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it arrived without further issue.
Royal Caribbean and USCG did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the incident.
The cruise community vented their outrage at such antics on social media, with many demanding the teens be charged.
“Those teens pulling an absolutely unacceptable ‘prank’ should face financial penalties as well as legal penalties, and be banned from cruising,” one Youtuber commented.
“Those teens absolutely need to be charged both in the legal and financial sense. A false man overboard on a ship like that is the same as shouting fire in a crowded theatre or ‘joking’ about a bomb while on a plane. There needs to be severe consequences,” another wrote.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
