Search for grad who fell overboard is suspended

18-year-old from Louisiana missing from high school graduation cruise

Derick Hingle / AP

In this Jan. 24, 2009 photo, Bruce O'Krepki of St. Thomas Aquinas High School is seen during a soccer game against Independence in Hammond, La.

Top slideshows

Courtesy of Heavenly Ski Resort	Hit the lifts Take a visual tour of some of the most popular ski and snowboard playgrounds in America — and beyond.
EPA	Let there be lights! Cities and towns across the globe have illuminated and unveiled decorations in anticipation of the upcoming holidays.
	Photos of the year All year long, you’ve been voting for your favorite travel photos sent in by msnbc.com readers. Here is a collection of the year’s very best.

updated 10:05 p.m. ET May 26, 2009

TAMPA, Fla. - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation.

The search was called off Tuesday night. The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. Boats and aircraft searched an area of nearly 5,300 square miles.

O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

The ship had left New Orleans en route to Key West.

"We hope people are keeping Bruce in their thoughts and prayers," Rick O'Krepki said.

Bruce O'Krepki was one of 65 seniors who graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas on May 9 and planned to attend Louisiana State University on an academic scholarship, his uncle said.

"Just like any recent grad, he was excited about starting college," Rick O'Krepki said. "But he was also a bit sad that he wouldn't be seeing his friends from school every day anymore."

The teen's older brother is a freshman at LSU. A younger brother is a rising high school senior, and younger sister will be junior.

Bruce O'Krepki's soccer coach John Cox described the teen as someone who was connected to the community and his family.

"It's a huge burden for the community," Cox said.

Don't miss these Travel stories from msnbc.com

Offbeat holiday celebrations
Best places to spend Christmas
Be sure the people on your list travel in style
AAA says holiday travel to rise this year
Will the real Las Vegas please stand up?