Southwest
Cruise ship passengers from across US sue after worker sentenced for placing hidden cameras in guest rooms
Nineteen passengers, including four minors, who cruised on board Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Sea are suing the cruise line and a former company employee, who placed hidden cameras in their guest rooms.
Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a citizen of the Philippines and former Royal Caribbean crew member named in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, was sentenced in August in Florida to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
The passengers, who were not named in the lawsuit and rather referred to by abbreviations, are mostly American citizens from all across the country, including New York, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, while several passengers are from Canada.
The latest suit, obtained by Fox News Digital, comes months after a separate class-action lawsuit was filed against Mirasol and the Miami-based cruise line in October, alleging that as many as 960 people may have been victims of a hidden camera in a bathroom on board.
“This is an extraordinarily unusual case in that the pool of victims can be nearly 1,000 or more men, women and children,” Spencer Aronfeld with Aronfeld Trial Lawyers, who represent the 19 cruise ship passengers, told Fox News Digital.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE SUED OVER HIDDEN CAMERA THAT MAY HAVE FILMED HUNDREDS OF PASSENGERS: LAWSUIT
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida, names Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and crew member Arvin Joseph Mirasol as defendants. Pictured is the Symphony of the Seas, the ship on which Marisol recorded passengers without their knowledge. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP)
The new lawsuit alleges that during his time working as a stateroom attendant on the cruise line from December 2023 through February 2024, Mirasol “taped a video camera containing a memory card in the Plaintiffs’ passenger cabin bathrooms and captured images of the Plaintiffs while undressed and engaging in private activities,” without their knowledge or consent, adding that he then uploaded these images “to third parties and/or to the world wide web, including, but not limited to, the dark web.”
“For those who had their images recorded, uploaded on the internet and potentially sold on the dark web – this has created deep emotional pain, sleepless nights and tearful days,” Aronfeld told Fox News Digital.
Lawyers for the alleged victims also argue in the suit that Royal Caribbean “should have known sexual assaults were reasonably foreseeable considering the prevalence of sexual assaults aboard [Royal Caribbean’s] cruise ships.”
There were a total of 26 sexual assaults and rapes reported during Royal Caribbean cruises in 2023, and 22 sexual assaults reported during Royal Caribbean cruises in 2022, according to the Secretary of Transportation, the documents continue.
Overall data shows that sexual assault allegations on cruise ships rose in 2023, with 131 sex crimes reported to the FBI on ships embarking and disembarking in the United States in 2023, up from 87 in 2022, lawyers wrote.
MAN ON VACATION WITH FAMILY GOES OVERBOARD ON NORWEGIAN CRUISE SHIP IN BAHAMAS
Arvin Joseph Mirasol was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Aug. 28, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida. (Broward County Jail)
In addition to the crimes committed on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, a hidden camera was installed in a public bathroom on the top deck of another Royal Caribbean cruise ship – Harmony of the Seas – during a cruise which left Miami on April 29, 2023, according to the lawsuit.
The camera allegedly recorded more than 150 people, including at least 40 children, using the Royal Caribbean bathroom “in various stages of undress” until the hidden camera was discovered by a passenger on May 1, 2023, lawyers wrote.
Royal Caribbean “failed to take adequate steps and/or provide adequate security and/or training and/or supervision to prevent such sexual assaults, including video voyeurism, to occur aboard its cruise ships,” the lawsuit states, adding that the cruise line also “failed to warn its passengers of sexual assaults, including video voyeurism, occurring aboard its cruise ships.”
Lawyers argue that the motive behind this was “financial in nature,” explaining that Royal Caribbean “willfully chooses not to warn its passengers about sexual assaults, including video voyeurism, aboard its cruise ships so as not to scare any prospective passengers away.”
ROYAL CARIBBEAN PASSENGER DIES SOON AFTER BEING DETAINED FOR CHAOTIC INCIDENT CAUGHT ON VIDEO
A partial view of the U.S. company Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited tourism cruise liner Symphony of the Seas. (LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
As a result of Mirasol’s crimes, his alleged victims “suffer from severe emotional distress, which manifests physically, causing [them] physical sickness, sweating, nausea, insomnia, dizziness, crying, and physical pain,” their attorneys wrote, adding that the former cruise travelers “live in constant fear, reasonably under the circumstances, that images of the Plaintiffs undressed while engaging in private activities are regularly viewed by others and used for illicit purposes.”
Aronfeld Trial Lawyers, on behalf of the alleged victims, are demanding trial by jury.
“Our mission is to fully investigate this case on behalf of our clients and hold RCL accountable for failing to properly vet, hire, supervise and retain Mr. Mirasol,” Aronfeld told Fox News Digital. “We have confidence that the jury will have no problem returning a substantial verdict in favor of the victims.”
Royal Caribbean International did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
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A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
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Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. The alleged gunman is circled. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on June 2, 2026, in connection with a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles. (California Highway Patrol)
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
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