On Thursday September 11, 2025, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’affaires Kimberly Furnish, along with officers from the U.S. Armed Forces, oversaw the solemn repatriation of the remains of active-duty Alaska Air National Guard Second Lieutenant Robert Rosa. Lieutenant Rosa was killed while on vacation in Nassau in a jet ski related incident.

“Our hearts are with Lieutenant Rosa’s family and many friends and colleagues at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska,” stated Chargé Furnish. “He served his country honorably and we are deeply saddened by his passing. He was not at fault in this incident, and we have called on the Bahamian government to investigate and seek justice for his family.”

The U.S. Embassy is working with the Bahamian government to address the persistence of deaths, injuries and sexual assaults associated with the minimally regulated small watercraft industry. Personnel under U.S. Embassy authority are currently prohibited from renting or operating jet skis, and American visitors to The Bahamas are warned about the dangers of renting or operating a jet ski around New Providence and Paradise Island.

For further information about the risks of jet skis and small watercraft, view the travel advisory at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bahamas.html.

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