Authorities Identify Man Who Fell Overboard From Cruise Ship

BOSTON (AP/WBZ-AM) — Authorities say they have recovered the body of a 21-year-old man who fell overboard from a party cruise in Boston Harbor.

Massachusetts State Police say divers found the body near Peddocks Island around 1 a.m. Sunday in 45 feet of water. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said the man has been identified as Aaron Dibella, 21 of Peabody.

Police say the man went overboard from the Provincetown II cruise ship shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Authorities say they are investigating how he fell into the water. Bay State Cruise Company said a crew member went into the water and was within 5 feet of Dibella when he went under. The company said Dibella had been "engaging in horseplay," performing a type of vertical push-up near the edge of the boat, and had been told to stop--but later did it again, and fell overboard.

Jake Langlois, a friend of Dibella, told WBZ-TV that, after Dibella went overboard, they saw him on a spotlight--but that nobody really did anything for a while.

"They wanted him to swim back like 30-40 yards," Langlois said. "Someone should have jumped out there. Someone should have been trained to do it."

Police say the man then went underwater and didn't surface again.

Nicole Grohl, spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston, spoke to WBZ-TV about the search.

"These are kids having fun, and any time that there's a loss of life, it's always tragic," she said.

Officials say the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause and manner of the man's death. There's no word yet on whether alcohol or anything else played a role.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker (@radiobenparker) reports


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