May 16, 2008 12:50 am US/Eastern
FBI Questions N.J. Man About Cruise Ship Fall
BORDENTOWN, N.J. (CBS3) ―
The boyfriend of a missing woman who disappeared after a plunge from a cruise ship was questioned by federal authorities before he returned to the United States Thursday. The missing woman from Pine Hill, New Jersey went overboard from a cruise ship off the Atlantic City coast.
CBS 3 obtained exclusive footage of Jorge Caputo on his return flight to the states after a nightmare cruise to Bermuda. He landed in Newark but did not answer any questions about his girlfriend Mindy Jordan.
Back in Bermuda, FBI agents wrapped up their second day of the investigation.
The Norwegian Dawn disembarked from New York City for Bermuda when 46-year-old Mindy Jordan went overboard Sunday night. The Coast Guard searched for Jordan for several hours, but bad weather forced authorities to call off the search Monday.
Jordan, a mother of two, was on the cruise with her boyfriend, Jorge Caputo, and another couple where, according to Caputo, she fell over overboard.
Surveillance video from aboard the ship captured both Jordan's and Caputo's movements moments before and after Jordan fell.
On surveillance video, Jordan and Caputo are first seen returning to their separate staterooms at 7:28 p.m., after dining with their companions.
At 7:36 p.m., Caputo leaves his room and joins the couple's friends next door. Jordan remains in her room alone.
At 7:53 p.m., an exterior surveillance camera on the ship captures Jordan falling from her balcony and directly into the water below.
Passengers on board the ship said the weather was so bad they could not stand up and had been ordered to stay inside.
"You couldn't even stand up. The wind was just blowing and blowing. I can't imagine what they were doing up there," said one passenger.
Shortly after Jordan fell, an emergency call was made from the room of the couple's companions and Caputo was captured on videotape leaving the room, presumably to look for help.
Jordan's mom, Louise Horton, says the story does not add up.
Horton said Caputo called Monday, 15 hours after she disappeared into the water, and told her that Jordan had fallen over a railing.
"He said, 'we were just clowning around, she was acting silly and accidentally fell,'" Louise explained. "He said, 'so I ran down to save her,' but, it was too late.'"
The Norwegian Cruise Line released a statement regarding the incident that read in part: "The 46-year-old woman was attempting to climb from one exterior balcony on deck nine to the adjoining balcony and subsequently fell overboard."
"That would be totally out of character, Mindy was 4'10", weighed about 98 lbs., she would not go near a rail," Jordan's father Andrew August said.
The vessel was cleared to proceed on its scheduled itinerary and arrived in Bermuda on Wednesday where FBI agents boarded the ship to interview Caputo and other potential witnesses to determine if a crime had been committed.
Mindy's family claims Jordan was in an abusive relationship and fears the worst.
"We certainly had concerns for her and we miss her and want to understand what happened," said Steve Lynn, Mindy's brother.
Lynn said the FBI visited his mother's Bordentown home Wednesday to interview family members and retrieve evidence, including photos that show Mindy's bruises.
"The FBI is in possession of all the materials that they felt were warranted in this case," Lynn said.
"I personally think there was foul play and if there wasn't, there wasn't," Horton said.
The incident remains under investigation with federal authorities. The FBI says although it is alleged Jordan was in an abusive relationship, it does not necessarily mean a crime has been committed. The FBI refused to comment on the status of the investigation.
Norwegian Cruise Lines invited members of Jordan's family to view the videotape for themselves in Bermuda, but the family declined.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
