An American student found dead on a trip to Spain was alone when he drowned after falling off rocks into the ocean, CCTV footage has revealed.
James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey, 20, a junior at the University of Alabama, was holidaying for spring break and visiting friends studying abroad in Barcelona.
He never made it home from beachfront nightclub Shôko after being separated from his friends about 3am on Wednesday, and disappeared.
Gracey’s body was found by police divers in about 12ft of water along a breakwater in front of Port Olympic about 6pm on Thursday.
The young man was initially feared to have met with foul play after leaving Shôko with an unidentified stranger, but police confirmed on Friday his death was accidental.
Security footage showed him leave the nightclub alone and walk across Somorrostro Beach towards rocks and fall into the water, police told the Daily Mail.
Investigators at the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, recovered the footage from the security cameras near the nightclub.
The discovery dispels any thought that Gracey may have left with someone else who could have seen what happened before he fell off rocks into the sea, the police source said.
James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey, 20, a junior at the University of Alabama, was found dead after vanishing from Barcelona’s beachfront nightclub Shôko, where he was partying with friends
Police said that when he left the nightclub after drinking, he walked towards some rocks (circled) that stuck out of the nearby beach and fell into the sea
Investigators said the video footage also allowed them to conclude that he fell into the sea accidentally and was not pushed, they added.
Gracey’s preliminary autopsy report recorded an initial finding of accidental death, a Spanish judicial source told the Daily Mail.
The initial death finding is followed by a full autopsy at a later date but this usually confirms the finding of the first report.
Police were assisted by a sighting of Gracey walking towards the sea on the beach adjacent to the nightclub, and again on the breakwater.
‘A witness who happened to be passing saw him leave the nightclub, saw him heading towards this rocky outcrop,’ a source at Mossos d’Esquadra earlier told the Daily Mail.
‘From there he may have fallen into the sea and drowned.’
Gracey is from the Elmhurst suburb of Chicago, Illinois, but attends the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he is part of the Theta Chi fraternity.
Police boats and divers searched the area along Somorrostro Beach with the help of a helicopter and drones, and found Gracey’s wallet floating in the water.
The popular beach is right outside Shôko next to Port Olympic, one of two major marinas in central Barcelona, and investigators theorized he entered the water.
The rock wall goes out into the ocean away from the beach where a witness saw Gracey walking towards the sea
Two piers with rocks along the side of them and another rocky outcrop also jut out from the beach, but are much farther away from the nightclub
Police boats and divers were later seen searching the area along with a helicopter and drones, but officers said no further clues were found
Gracey’s body was found along the breakwater in front of Port Olympic in water about four meters (12ft) deep, police said.
Gracey’s family initially declined to comment on his body being found, but later made a statement on Friday night.
‘Jimmy was a deeply loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend, and our family is struggling to come to terms with this unimaginable loss,’ it said.
‘We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people around the world – so many helped to share Jimmy’s story and bring his life to light so that others may know him.’
Gracey’s Theta Chi fraternity brother, Cavin McLay, said he wanted to stay longer at Shôko and was lost in the chaos of the crowded dancefloor.
Police searched the Airbnb where Gracey was staying and interviewed the friends he was sharing the holiday rental with and others he was with that night.
Therese said police found her son’s phone when they arrested someone, but cops had shared very few details with the family.
‘What we’ve put together is that his phone was stolen and the police just happened to pick the guy who stole it up,’ she wrote online.
She claimed that law enforcement had discovered Gracey’s phone ‘when they searched the guy.’
Gracey with his aunt Beth Marren O’Reilly. He is believed to have drowned, but an autopsy will be needed to confirm
Gracey’s last appearance was around 3am local time at the nightclub Shôko, according to his mother
Police told the Daily Mail they arrested a man who has a series of criminal convictions in connection with the theft of Gracey’s phone.
When the phone was unlocked, officers dialed the last numbers that called it and discovered they were people who knew Gracey.
The man, who has not been identified, told police he found the phone.
Therese on Tuesday afternoon Chicago time issued an urgent plea for help in the search for her missing son in a Facebook post.
‘The police have his phone but he never made it back to his Airbnb,’ she wrote, pleading with anyone who may have seen him to contact her.
Gracey was wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants, likely joggers, as well as a gold chain with a rhinestone cross when he disappeared.
Gracey’s father, Taras, has already traveled to Barcelona to search for his son and Therese will likely join him soon.
His uncle is David Gracey, a CNN senior producer in Washington, and he is the eldest of Taras and Therese’s five children.
Exactly what happened to Gracey after he was separated from his friends at the club is still unknown and investigators are still piecing together his movements
Gracey’s friends rallied to help find him, handing out flyers on the beach and asking people if they had seen him
Gracey’s family on Wednesday said it was ‘deeply concerned’ about him since his disappearance, which was out of character for the responsible young man.
‘Jimmy is a kind, responsible, and devoted son and brother. It is completely out of character for him not to check in with family and friends,’ they said in a statement.
‘We are working closely with local authorities and are incredibly grateful for the support we have received.
‘We ask that you keep Jimmy in your thoughts as we continue to do everything we can to bring him home safely.’
Shôko is a bustling beachfront nightclub along Barcelona’s La Barceloneta seaside neighborhood, known for its Mediterranean views and popular among locals and visitors.
It has been ranked the seventh best nightclub in the world by Nightlife International.
Gracey was staying at an Airbnb on Ronda de Sant Pere, one of the city’s main roads.
The distance from Shôko to his tourist apartment is roughly 3km (1.8 miles). He never made it back from the club, his mother said.
‘We are conducting the initial checks and have taken a report in an open investigation,’ police said.
‘A call was received early yesterday morning, around 1am, reporting a possible disappearance.
‘The disappearance was reported to have occurred on March 17, 2026, at 3am, in the Port Olympic area.’
Gracey’s mother Therese said police found her son’s phone when they arrested someone, but cops had shared very few details with the family
Gracey was elected to the Theta Chi fraternity’s University of Alabama executive board as a chaplain in October
Gracey was in Amsterdam over the weekend and arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning, according to family members.
McLay said he learned that Gracey was missing from a friend the next morning, after Gracey did not return to the Airbnb.
‘My heart sank to my stomach. It’s definitely not a good text to wake up to,’ he told NBC.
‘First thoughts were, hopefully, he just lost his phone and tried making his way back on his own.’
McLay said about ten people in the group were in Barcelona right now, visiting a few fraternity members who were studying abroad.
He said there was nothing out of the ordinary at the nightclub and no reason for any of the holidaymakers to fear for their safety.
‘It’s tough. We’re doing everything we can to keep our heads up and remain hopeful that we find him safe, but it’s a tough time. And, you know, we’re scared,’ he told WVMTM.
Divers from Catalonia’s police force, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra, found Gracey’s body
A post from November said Gracey had been elected onto the fraternity’s executive board as a chaplain.
Gracey wrote on LinkedIn that he was looking forward to ‘leading with integrity, promoting a values-based culture and supporting the personal and spiritual growth of the chapter’.
The missing student’s friends rallied to help find him, handing out flyers on the beach and asking anyone if they had seen him.
The University of Alabama confirmed Gracey was a student on a personal trip.
‘UA staff are in touch with the family and those associated with them to offer support and assistance in any way possible,’ it said.
