TRAGIC

Grandfather of Toddler Who Fell Out of Cruise Ship Sentenced To 3 Years Probation

Salvatore Anello pleaded guilty last year after his 18-year-month grandfather fell through an open window of a cruise ship in Puerto Rico in 2019.

The Indiana grandfather of an 18-month-old child who fatally fell through an open window of a cruise ship in Puerto Rico has been sentenced to three years probation, authorities said Monday. Salvatore Anello was charged with negligent homicide by Puerto Rican authorities after his granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand, fell through an 11th-story window on the docked ship in July 2019. While Anello initially pleaded not guilty, he changed his plea after coming to an agreement with prosecutors that included no jail time—and would allow him to serve his probation in Indiana.

In December 2019, the Wiegand family filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, claiming the cruise line was at fault for the tragic accident. According to the lawsuit, Anello held Wiegand up to a window on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which he said he thought was closed, so the toddler could bang on the glass. Instead, Wiegand fell through the open window.

The company has repeatedly sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Anello leaned out the window and therefore knew it was open.