U.S. Visitor Details Alleged Assault in Viral TikTok Post

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A trip to The Bahamas that started with plans for a jet ski ride and sightseeing ended with one visitor claiming she was punched in the face. 

In a TikTok video 25-year-old Briana Bazel describes what she alleges was a horrific experience during a recent visit to The Bahamas.

Bazel says she and a friend came here for sun, fun and some time on the water, but she claims the dream vacation became a nightmare in paradise.

The Ohio native says they’d already booked a water-sports activity online, but once they arrived, that reservation was cancelled.

Then, on September 10th, Bazel says they encountered a man at Goodman’s Bay Beach who offered them an alternative.

Briana Brazel – Ohio Native 

“ We found him, or he found us, I should say. And we told him about the jet ski cars. He said he has [something] and that we can book it through him. And he also said he was a tour guide ’cause we said we wanted to sightsee, so he basically just said he could give us a deal for everything, which we agreed to.”

In the three-minute video, Bazel says the man introduced them to another man, who she says was presented as his cousin and a taxi driver.

Later that night, Bazel says the two men picked her and her friend up from an eatery in the Bay Street area.

She alleges the group eventually made their way to a bar, and that’s when she says the encounter took a disturbing turn after he asked her to step outside to speak privately.

According to Bazel, she was allegedly assaulted by the man posing as a jet ski operator after she declined his sexual advances.

Bazel showed graphic images in that TikTok video, claiming they were injuries from the alleged assault.

She says another Bahamian man eventually came to their aid and drove her and her friend to the Grove Police Station, where she says she filed a complaint.

The incident comes just months after jet ski operations in The Bahamas came under renewed scrutiny.

In June, the U.S. Embassy raised concerns about jet ski rentals, citing injuries, fatalities and reports of sexual assault involving operators.

Following Bazel’s allegations, Transport Minister Leon Lundy told reporters the man she accused was not a licensed jet ski operator and did not have an authentic port department badge.

Lundy says police are investigating, while his ministry is also looking at additional steps to address the wider issue.

Leon Lundy – Minister, Transport 

“ We’re not sitting back and just allowing it to happen even though there are allegations. We’re doing what we must do as a ministry, and you’ll see in short order that we’ll have some technology rolled out that’ll help assist and mitigate these situations from happening.”