Cruise ship worker allegedly raped passenger
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A cruise ship worker accused of raping a female passenger and then attempting to throw her overboard was arrested Sunday upon returning to Port Everglades in Florida, CBS Miami reports.
Ketut Pujayasa, 28, an employee of the MS Nieuw Amsterdam, allegedly raped a 31-year-old U.S. woman early Friday morning while the cruise ship was off the coast of Roatan, Honduras, authorities said.
In a criminal complaint, the victim told investigators that she was attacked and raped in her stateroom. She said that she managed to escape and received help from another passenger after her attacker tried to throw her from the ship’s balcony.
Pujayasa later turned himself in, telling investigators that he attacked the woman because she had disrespected him earlier.
“Pujayasa stated that the passenger’s comment of ‘son of a b***h’ was offensive to himself and his parents. He was angry and upset the rest of the day,” stated an FBI report, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“[He] stated that he then walked to the Lido deck on deck 9 in an attempt to locate the passenger from the stateroom who insulted him in order to punch her in the face for insulting him that morning,” the report continued. “However, as he approached deck 9, he realized it was too crowded and decided to leave.”
Pujayasa reportedly used a laptop computer and curling iron to beat the woman.
The Indonesian man is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and attempt to commit murder.
In a news release Tuesday, Holland America Line said that it is helping authorities figure out how the attack occurred.
"At Holland America Line, the safety of our guests is our highest priority, and we are shocked and deeply saddened by this incident,” the release stated. “To our knowledge, no incident like this has occurred in our company’s 140-year history.”The MS Nieuw Amsterdam departed Feb. 9 on a seven-day roundtrip cruise from Fort Lauderdale, traveling to the Caribbean.