He Attacked Crew and Threatened to 'Kill' Passengers Before Cruise Ship Death: Here's Why Fiancée Thinks Cruise Is at Fault By Christine Pelisek 71

The fiancée of a cruise ship passenger who died after being detained during what authorities described as a drunken, threatening outburst aboard a Royal Caribbean ship bound for Mexico has filed a lawsuit against the cruise line.

Michael Virgil, 35, died within an hour of being detained by security on the Navigator of the Seas on Dec. 13, 2024 — the same day he boarded the ship from the port of San Pedro, near Los Angeles.

According to the wrongful death complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Virgil was on the cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, with his fiancé, his then 7-year-old son and family members.

The complaint claims that starting around 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 13, Virgil, who participated in the ship’s all-inclusive drink package, was “negligently served” at least 33 alcoholic beverages.

“[Virgil] was visibly intoxicated such that each of Royal Caribbean crew members should not have continued to serve alcohol to him while he was exhibiting these visible signs of intoxication, and each of these crew members were negligent for continuing to serve [Virgil] alcoholic beverages in his intoxicated state,” per the complaint.

Per the complaint, Virgil tried to find his cabin but got lost and became agitated.

A video captured by passenger Christifer Mikhail and obtained by Fox 11 showed Virgil repeatedly kicking down a door in the hallway inside the ship and loudly shouting, “I’m going to knock you the f— out,” as members of the vessel’s security surround him. 

Mikhail told Fox 11 that Virgil began making threats when he got off an elevator on the wrong floor of the vessel.

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“The gentleman that was drunk said that he was going to kill us and then he started chasing us down the hallway,” Mikhail told Fox 11, referring to himself and a crew member who “locked himself in one of the towel rooms.”

According to the complaint, crew members tackled Virgil to the ground, stood on his body “with their full weight,” and “compressed” his body, causing him to stop moving.

Virgil was allegedly “subjected to prolonged prone restraint with multiple Royal Caribbean crew members applying compressive force to [his] back and torso, impairing chest expansion, limiting diaphragmatic motion, and obstructing venous return, leading to impaired breathing and hypoxia.”  

The complaint claims that the crew members, at the request of the staff captain, gave Virgil an injection of the sedative haloperidol and used multiple cans of pepper spray on him.

According to the complaint, his death was ruled a homicide “as the use of force by Royal Caribbean crew members, as well as over service of alcoholic beverages leading to intoxication, directly contributed to and caused the physiologic conditions leading to [Virgil’s] death.”

Per the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, Virgil died from combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly, and ethanol intoxication. The medical examiner confirms his death was ruled a homicide.

Per the complaint, Virgil’s body was “refrigerated” on board the cruise ship as the vessel continued to Ensenada. It returned to Los Angeles on Dec. 16.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement to PEOPLE, saying “We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation.”