Watch CBS News

NY Official Says Cruise Ship Boy Dies Of Accidental Drowning

NEW YORK (WJZ) -- A Maryland boy is dead after falling into a pool on a cruise ship.

Ava-joye Burnett spoke with the boy's mother.

It was supposed to be a vacation but it turned into a disaster. Now that 8-year-old boy's family is mourning his death.

It was chaos off the New Jersey coast after eight-year-old Prince Adepoju fell into a pool on a cruise ship. The Coast Guard says he was in the water for up to 10 minutes.

"Very, very quickly, they got him down to the second deck where the medical office is," said passenger Mike Ritchie. "They air-lifted him off the ship."

Monday afternoon, the New York City medical examiner announced Prince died of accidental drowning and seizure disorder was also a contributing factor.

We visited the boy's home in an Anne Arundel County neighborhood and a woman who identified herself as his mother opened the door but said she was just too distraught to speak on camera.

The Anthem of the Seas has been in the headlines before. In February, it got caught in a nasty storm with 30-foot waves and powerful winds that left passengers terrified.

For this latest tragedy that claimed the life of an eight-year-old from Severn, the cruise line said, "We are heartbroken to learn this news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this terribly sad time."

This incident happened June 30 and the little boy died two days later.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.