A gambler who owed $16,710 jumped overboard a cruise ship (4 photos)

Jay Gonzalez-Diaz jumped off the Rhapsody of the Seas while docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 7. The cruise line reported that the passenger owed $16,710, almost all of it for gambling at casinos during a week-long vacation. This was the reason for his escape.





The man booked a cruise departing Puerto Rico on August 31 and visited Barbados before returning.

Just as Jay fell into the water, someone on a jet ski spotted him and pulled him ashore. The gambling addict fled the port, but customs and border agents caught him near the Capitol around 9:45 a.m.



Police found $14,600 in cash in the suspect's backpack. He also had a bag, two phones, and five different IDs.

His documents included a Tennessee state identification card, a U.S. passport, a Social Security card, a Puerto Rican birth certificate, and a Royal Caribbean boarding pass.

The Tennessee state identification card and birth certificate were issued in the name of Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz. The boarding pass was issued in Jeremy Diaz's name. The Social Security card and passport listed him as "Jay Xander Omar Gonzalez Diaz."





When investigators asked Gonzalez-Diaz his real name, he defiantly replied, "If you were doing your job properly, you would know by now."

Puerto Rico state archives confirmed the identity of the accused. A man named Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz has been held in Guaynabo since January. Jay Gonzalez-Diaz claimed the man was his brother.



He explained his jump from the cruise ship by saying he didn't want to report the currency for fear of being fined for importing cash.

The suspect was released on bail. He faces federal charges that could result in up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000.