A Carnival cruise passenger who apparently jumped overboard has been identified as a 56-year-old Southern California father of three who was on an anniversary trip when he vanished into the Pacific Ocean.

Thomas Gigler, who was reportedly marking the milestone with wife Michelle, 48, was sailing aboard the Carnival Panorama when he is understood to have jumped on Saturday, according to reports.

The couple lived with their three sons in Redlands, about 63 miles east of Los Angeles.

Thomas Gigler, who was reportedly marking the milestone with wife Michelle, 48, was sailing aboard the Carnival Panorama when he is understood to have jumped on Saturday.

A computer programmer who spent 24 years working for Esri, Gigler is believed to have gone off the 11th deck as the ship  traveled from Mexico toward Long Beach.

His family raised the alarm after he could not be found. He is presumed dead.

The US and Mexican Coast Guards continued searching the area, while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels also joined the effort.

Gigler’s family has been left struggling to understand what happened.

His sister, Wendy Dowden, pushed back on a fellow passenger’s claim that Gigler had spoken about problems in his marriage during a conversation at the ship’s Alchemy Bar the night before his disappearance.

Dowden told the Daily Mail that her brother and Michelle “were getting along quite well,” rejecting the suggestion that marital problems had driven him to jump.

Instead, his family believes something unexpected may have happened to Gigler shortly before he went overboard.

“We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn’t in his right mind to have done this,” Dowden said.

The family said Gigler had no known history of mental illness.

A video shared on Facebook by another passenger  captured an announcement made to those on board about the ongoing search.

A Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard has been identified as a 56-year-old father of three who was on his anniversary trip when he vanished in the ocean.

“We have yet to locate the missing guest. Our fleet operation in Miami and appropriate authorities have been notified,” a cruise official appears to say in the video.

“In the meantime, we continue for the family and friends. Our search efforts continue and we will keep you informed. Thank you again for the cooperation.”

The announcement appeared to ask passengers for their continued cooperation during the search.

Another video shared to Facebook by passenger Misty Hernandez showed fellow passengers coming together to remember the man, with a small memorial display covered with handwritten messages, prayers and other tributes for his family and friends.

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/us-news/socal-bound-carnival-cruise-ship-passenger-lost-at-sea-idd-as-father-of-3/