YouTuber feared dead after falling overboard on Neymar's party cruise ship

02 January 2024 , 14:22

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Carlos Alberto Mota Candreva., who went missing after falling off a cruise ship (Image: Jam Press)

A YouTuber is feared dead after falling overboard on Neymar’s party cruise ship.

Carlos Alberto Mota Candreva reportedly fell from the 18-storey MSC Preziosa in the early morning of Saturday (30 Dec). It had set sail from the Port of Santos, Brazil just after the Brazil football superstar got off.

Carlos, 32, was declared missing as the vessel sailed towards Angra dos Reis, west of Rio de Janeiro. He had been travelling with a woman called Vitória Bárbara Momenso. The two had been in a casual relationship for about two years.

Bárbara said the pair had a row on the boat before he suddenly jumped overboard. She said “There was no way to run after him. It happened very quickly.” She added: “I was in shock, I was frozen.” After being treated by onboard medics, Bárbara disembarked the cruise the next day and spoke to the police.

Carlos' girlfriend Vitória Bárbara Momenso. (Jam Press)

Carlos' sister accused Vitória of financially exploiting him (Jam Press)

Carlos worked as a programmer at a bank and part-time as a DJ in São Paulo. He had also written two books of poems and had a YouTube channel where he commented on current affairs. He had 16,300 Instagram followers at the time of writing.

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Two vessels were involved in the hours-long search for him, which failed to locate him. Afterward, the “New Year at Sea” cruise resumed its journey, but a concert by singer-songwriter Alexandre Pires was cancelled.

Carlos’s sister accuses Momenso of exploiting him financially. Christiane Mota da Silva, 44, told local media: “Carlos was practically broke. She financially consumed him. He funded the trip because it was her dream.” She added: “She will never admit it, but she is responsible for what happened. She didn’t throw him, but she is the one who pushed him to this point.”

The MSC Preziosa had hosted Al Hilal and Brazil star Neymar’s extravagant party cruise from 26 to 29 December. Carlos and Bárbara got on the ship after Neymar left. MSC Cruises said in a statement: “A thorough search was conducted on board, and it was confirmed that the guest intentionally jumped into the sea.”

Ryan Fahey