New Twist on the Guy Jumping From Carnival Cruise Ship

[Seahunt]

I hadn't heard this part of the story - did you know the guy who jumped had taken a 16 year old boy on the cruise for the kids birthday? Poor kid, wonder what he thought when the idiot was drunk and jumped from the ship leaving him all alone on the ship to get home? He probably was scared to death.

Man Who Jumped From Ship Was On Cruise With Teen

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Coast Guard rescued an Orlando man who jumped from a Carnival cruise ship out of Port Canaveral. Michael Mankamyer, 35, was in the water for eight hours before he was rescued.

Mankamyer was on the cruise with a 16-year-old family friend, who's flying back to Orlando on Friday night.

The boy's family said Mankamyer is a trusted friend and they were shocked when they heard he went overboard. He spent more than eight hours in the water, before a Coast Guard crew lifted him out about 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale.

Mankamyer was on the Carnival Glory cruise ship when he went overboard early Friday morning.

"I was shocked. He's been our friend for 15 years," said Margaret Wega.

He was such a good friend, Wega said, Mankamyer was on the cruise with her son, Salvatore, to celebrate his 16th birthday.

"He looks out for Salvi. If Salvi needs something, he's always there," she said.

But Wega said she still doesn't know what went wrong.

Eyewitnesses said Mankamyer was drunk and was seen running through his cabin and off his balcony, plunging 60 feet into the water.

"Nothing's wrong with him. Maybe he stumbled. I don't know," Wega said.

It's a question the Coast Guard also wants to ask Mankamyer. It said few people survive in the water for so long, but he's now in a Miami hospital and expected to fully recover.

Wega said she'll ask her son more about what happened when he arrives at the airport Friday night.

 

[Poppinsme]

What parent would let a 35 year old man take a 16 year old on a cruise? But then why would a 35 year old hang around with a 16 year old boy?
Can you say pedophile. Something is not right.

 

[poohandwendy]

I want to know how he fell/jumped 60 feet into the water (intoxicated, no less) and survived 8 hours in the open ocean??? That is unreal.

 

[Nancy]

What parent would let a 35 year old man take a 16 year old on a cruise? But then why would a 35 year old hang around with a 16 year old boy?
Can you say pedophile. Something is not right.

That was my first thought...what man takes a boy on a cruise?

The Mom says he is a trusted family friend and there is nothing wrong with him. I'm not getting the whole situation. As a Mom I would not let a child of mine who is underage go off with a 35 year old man.

 

[Michelle2]

That was my first thought...what man takes a boy on a cruise?

The Mom says he is a trusted family friend and there is nothing wrong with him. I'm not getting the whole situation. As a Mom I would not let a child of mine who is underage go off with a 35 year old man.

Me either. That is the first thing that I thought of when I read this story....

 

[Allison]

That was my first thought...what man takes a boy on a cruise?

The Mom says he is a trusted family friend and there is nothing wrong with him. I'm not getting the whole situation. As a Mom I would not let a child of mine who is underage go off with a 35 year old man.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[dejr_8]

What parent would let a 35 year old man take a 16 year old on a cruise? But then why would a 35 year old hang around with a 16 year old boy?
Can you say pedophile. Something is not right.

I wonder if the man made a move on the boy and was rejected. I'm guessing the boy would tell mom when he got home. Sounds like a good reason for the man to jump overboard

 

[Tantor]

What parent would let a 35 year old man take a 16 year old on a cruise? But then why would a 35 year old hang around with a 16 year old boy?
Can you say pedophile. Something is not right.

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What parent would let a 35 year old man take a 16 year old on a cruise? But then why would a 35 year old hang around with a 16 year old boy?
Can you say pedophile. Something is not right.

Bingo....disgusting.
WTH is wrong with people?

 

[bicker]

WTH is wrong with people?

We should really be asking that question seriously rather than just as exhortation. What is wrong with our society that people become that deviant? It's just too insidious of a behavior pattern to write it off as "not my problem" or "there will always be deviants" or any other comfy excuse we tell ourselves to escape any possible responsibility on our part as a society.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well bicker, dh and I were talking about that yesterday. He thinks that it is just more people (population) with a ton of media coverage. Nothing has changed it is just very visible now.

Is that true? Could be.

My theory is that we are a "young country" and we have to become more strict. Old countries have learned their lessons.
Deviants need to be put to death.
I believe we allow it and it is "acceptable".

And that is my theory.

 

[DVCLiz]

Wait a minute - are we now putting this guy to death after convicting him of being a pedophile???

There are certainly cases in which an older man and a teen might have a sexual relationship, and this might be one of them, but there are also thousands and thousands of situations where an older man who is a legitimate family friend might take a teen boy on a trip. I'm not ready to bury him under the jail yet. He might just have been drunk...

 

[bicker]

Good point DVCLiz. Here we are falling prey to the most insidious transgression: Jumping to conclusions. We should indeed keep our assumptions to ourselves until they're confirmed by objective sources.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Wait a minute - are we now putting this guy to death after convicting him of being a pedophile???

...

No...I was speaking in general terms, not this guy. We don't know anything about this case yet.

 

[funhouse8]

I don't know what happened but I do know if he was responsible for that 16 year old boy he should not have been drinking that much! I agree with the others I wouldn't let my 16 year old child go away with a 35 year old.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I just saw it on the news. They said he was the Godfather of the child.

How could he survive in the water drunk?

the teen is on ABC TV now.

 

[bosstoboss]

I just saw it too. The kid couldn't even answer the questions he was being asked. They say the two were being roudy on their balcony and people were complaining. When the kid went to answer the door, the man fell in the water, face first.

 

[MushyMushy]

Wait a minute - are we now putting this guy to death after convicting him of being a pedophile???

.

Not me, but I can't believe that, in this day and age, parents would allow their teen to go off alone with an adult male like that -- family friend or not.

I have a long-time male friend that I would trust with my life. MY life, not my kids' lives.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well maybe he was just wasted and fell?

 

[Tybug]

How can one say they wouldn't allow their 16 yo to go on vacation with a 35 yo without knowing the family dynamics and not walking in their shoes? And calling him a pedophile without any knowledge other than they were traveling together??? Would you feel any different if these were females instead of males??? I feel we're turning into a society full of paranoia and thinking the worst of people. So would this mean this child has a terrible mother? Jumping to conclusions and judging people with 'no' viable information is just sad...