Search Suspended for 'Wonderful' Man, 35, Who Fell Overboard Ship While on First Cruise

The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Virginia man who fell overboard while traveling on a cruise ship earlier this week.

Ronnie Peale Jr., 35, fell over the edge of the Carnival Magic about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday morning, according to the United States Coast Guard. The incident was reported that same day.

The search was suspended Wednesday after crews searched more than 5,100 square miles in 60 hours, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

“The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly,” Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hooper said in a statement. “We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends.”

Peale's fiancée, Jennilyn Blosser, told CBS affiliate WTKR and CNN that this was her partner’s first cruise and that they went on the trip to celebrate her birthday.

“He really was the life of the party," she told the outlet.

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When she woke up around 11:30 a.m. on Monday morning, Blosser was unable to find Peale, so she called his mom to see if the two had talked, according to CNN. However, Linda Peale had not heard from her son.

A Carnival previously spokesperson said "an initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning," according to WTKR and NBC affiliate WAVY.

Blosser described her partner as a “social butterfly" who "loved to make friends with everyone," according to a GoFundMe page that has since been deactivated.

“The cruise was definitely a place he enjoyed,” Blosser wrote, adding that she "never" imagined "something like this could happen."

Speaking with CNN, his mom remembered her son as a “wonderful” family man, as well as a lover of both dogs and books.

“He had a willingness to help anyone who needed it,” she told the outlet.

A spokesperson for the FBI’s Norfolk field office told Fox News that the agency is leading an investigation into the incident, which they said was "standard procedure" for "any investigation involving a U.S. citizen in international waters."

The FBI did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.