Cruise Ship CCTV Video: Grandfather Sits Toddler On Open Window Before Fatal Fall

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. on Monday presented video depicting Salvatore Anello seemingly dangling his 18 month-old granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand, over an open window on the ship's 11th deck before she somehow slipped from his grasp and fell 150 feet to her death on the concrete dock below.

The fatal incident took place July 8, 2019 as the cruise ship, MS Freedom of the Seas, was docked in Puerto Rico. Chloe's family, who hail from South Bend, Indiana, sued Royal Caribbean in December at the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida. They allege Royal Caribbean failed to protect passengers from deceptively dangerous windows.

Anello has repeatedly denied knowing the window was open. He said he picked-up Chloe so she could bang on the glass as she would at her older brother’s hockey games.

In October, prosecutors from the Puerto Rican Department of Justice charged Anello with negligent homicide in Chloe's death. The charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. Prosecutors said Anello "negligently exposed the child to the abyss through a window on the 11th floor of the cruise ship."

The new video, taken by one of 13 video cameras at the scene of the incident, shows Anello stick his head out of a cruise-ship window. It then shows him picking up Chloe and seemingly sits her on the window ledge.

In its motion to dismiss, Royal Caribbean said the video contradicts Anello's claim he didn’t know the window was open before Chloe fell to her death. Royal Caribbean blames the "reckless and irresponsible" Anello for the fall that killed his granddaughter.

"His actions, which no reasonable person could have foreseen, were reckless and irresponsible and the sole reason why Chloe is no longer with her parents," said Royal Caribbean.

"This is a case about an adult man who, as surveillance footage unquestionably confirms: (1) walked up to a window he was aware was open; (2) leaned his upper body out the window for several seconds; (3) reached down and picked up Chloe; and (4) then held her by and out of the open window for thirty four seconds before he lost his grip and dropped Chloe out of the window," said the company in its motion to dismiss.

Michael Winkleman, Wiegand family's lawyer, assailed Royal Caribbean's motion calling it "baseless and deceptive."

"It is clear that Royal Caribbean’s tactic is to blame Chloe’s grandfather rather than to accept that Royal Caribbean did not implement industry standards for toddler safety aboard its ships," according to Winkleman.

Another of Wiegand's lawyers, Jacqueline Garcel, said Royal Caribbean is basing its defense in this case against Anello by supplying two deceptive views from its CCTV cameras to the court and the Puerto Rican authorities. She said there are 13 cameras in the area of the incident.

“The Wiegands will ask the Court to compel Royal Caribbean to produce all the video from those nearby cameras,” said a statement from the family.