Man Who Died Aboard Cruise Threatened to 'Kill' Passengers, But Family Says Behavior Was Uncharacteristic

A man who died on a cruise after attacking crew members was reportedly threatening to kill those around him, a fellow passenger says.

Michael Virgil, 35, died on Dec. 13 aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas, on which he was traveling with his fiancé and 7-year-old son, FOX LA reported.

About an hour after the cruise set sail from the port of San Pedro, near Los Angeles, Virgil reportedly got off the elevator on the wrong floor and began to act unruly, fellow passenger Christifer Mikhail told FOX LA. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the attack.

Mikhail recorded the tirade and told FOX LA that Virgil threatened to “kill” them. Passengers also told the outlet that Virgil uttered racial slurs and attacked two crew members.

“The gentleman that was drunk said that he was going to kill us and then he started chasing us down the hallway,” Mikhail said.

The video shows Virgil standing in a narrow corridor, kicking a door, while several crew members are seen standing a few feet away from him, looking concerned. 

Virgil is also seen in the video, shared by Fox LA, trying to punch a door while a crew member tries to speak with him. 

Virgil attempted to get through a door to a towel room where a crew member was hiding, Mikhail said.

“He was asking for God to forgive him,” Mikhail added. 

In a statement to PEOPLE, Royal Caribbean said, “We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”

The FBI’s Los Angeles field office confirmed to PEOPLE that they are “investigating an incident on board [a Royal Caribbean cruise] that resulted in death,” but did not provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation.

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Virgil’s family, who was traveling with him, told FOX LA that the incident was not consistent with his usual behavior.

“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” the relative said.