SKYLINE PRINCESS

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Man jumped over board and died of heart attack

A 56-year-old Pennsylvania man died of a heart attack on August 21, 2016, shortly after he jumped overboard from the "Skyline Princess" during a booze fueled cruise in Flushing Bay. Vernon Witsell was partying on the cruise ship that sailed from the World’s Fair Marina in Flushing, at about 2 a.m. when he jumped into Flushing Bay near Rikers Island and College Point. NYPD Harbor Patrol police arrived at the scene moments after the ship’s crew pulled Witsell from the waters. Witsell was combative and refused to cooperate with crewmembers that pulled him back onboard. He was taken to Flushing Hospital Center where he died a short while later. The city Medical Examiner’s office was scheduled to perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Witsell did not indicate why he jumped from the ship.