Police arrest grandfather of toddler who fell from cruise ship
The grandfather of an 18-month-old girl who fell to her death from the 11th deck of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas has been accused of negligent homicide.
Police say Salvatore Anello, Chloe Wiegand’s maternal grandfather, dropped the little girl through an open window while it was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A judge ordered his arrest on Monday and he is expected to appear in court on November 20.
A lawyer for the family said Chloe had asked her grandfather to lift her up so she could bang on the glass in a children’s play area.
He blamed the cruise ship company for leaving the window open when it ‘should have been closed securely’.
Miami-based attorney Michael Winkleman said the story was ‘not as it had originally been portrayed in the media’.
He said in a statement: "The grandfather didn’t drop the child – the child fell due to an open glass pane that should have been closed securely.
"Chloe wanted to bang on the glass like she always did at her older brother’s hockey games. Her grandfather thought there was glass just like everywhere else, but there was not, and she was gone in an instant."
Royal Caribbean called it a tragic incident and said it was helping the family.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt