An American college student remains missing in Barcelona after disappearing during a spring break trip, as Spanish police investigate reports that he was last seen leaving a nightclub with an unidentified person and his family appeals for information. James “Jimmy” Gracey, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Alabama from Elmhurst, Illinois, was last seen at about 3 a.m. local time on 17 March in the Port Olímpic area of the Catalan capital, near the beachfront Shôko nightclub. Catalonia police said they had opened an investigation after receiving an early-morning report about his disappearance.
Gracey had travelled to Spain to visit friends studying abroad during the university’s spring break. According to his family and fellow students, he had been out with friends in Barcelona when he became separated from the group. His mother first raised the alarm in a Facebook post, saying he had not made it back to the Airbnb where he had been staying. Friends and relatives have said he was due to return to the United States on 21 March, making his continued absence all the more alarming for those close to him.
The case has taken on a more troubling dimension after local media reports, cited by US outlets, said surveillance footage showed Gracey leaving the club with another person. NBC Chicago reported that Catalonia police described the matter as an “open investigation”, while other reports said Spanish authorities were reviewing an extensive network of cameras in the area in an attempt to reconstruct his final known movements. ABC7 Chicago said local reporting indicated he was seen leaving the club with another person, while accounts carried by US outlets said police were examining whether foul play could be involved. No suspect has been publicly identified.
Investigators have also been trying to piece together the significance of Gracey’s missing belongings. Early reports from his family said police had his phone, though authorities initially declined to confirm that detail publicly. By Thursday, ABC7 Chicago reported that police had found his wallet floating in the sea near Somorrostro beach, not far from the area where he was last seen. The same report said maritime and aquatic units had been working in the area, and that helicopters and maritime patrols had been deployed around the Olympic Village waterfront, suggesting investigators were examining the possibility that he may have entered the water.
Gracey’s family has described his disappearance as wholly out of character. In a statement reported by People and local Alabama television, relatives said: “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 added: “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.” The family has also urged anyone with information, “no matter how small”, to come forward.
Descriptions circulated by the family say Gracey was wearing a white T-shirt, dark trousers or joggers, and a gold chain with a rhinestone cross when he was last seen. He is described as about 6ft 1in tall and weighing roughly 175lb. His aunt, Beth Marren O’Reilly, said the family wanted anyone who might have encountered him that night to come forward, telling NBC News via People: “It’s one of those things you think isn’t going to happen to your family but right now we just really want to get the word out, get his picture out there and just beg anybody that might have seen him the other night or ran into him and are afraid because they were doing something they shouldn’t have, just please come forward.”
The University of Alabama has confirmed that Gracey is a student and said staff were supporting those close to him. In statements reported by NBC Chicago and People, a university spokesperson said: “James Paul Gracey is a UA student on a personal trip,” adding that university staff were in touch with the family “to offer support and assistance in any way possible.” Campus reporting by The Crimson White said Gracey is a junior majoring in accounting, while University of Alabama records show a James Gracey from Elmhurst on the dean’s list for the fall 2025 term. Friends have also said he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.
The search has drawn attention on both sides of the Atlantic. The US State Department said it stood ready to provide consular assistance to Americans abroad, though it declined to discuss details because of privacy considerations. Relatives and friends have continued to circulate appeals on social media and through local news outlets in both Alabama and the Chicago area, while Spanish authorities pursue enquiries in Barcelona. At the centre of those appeals is the same message repeated by Gracey’s family since the first hours after he vanished: that his disappearance after a night out in one of Europe’s busiest nightlife districts is not normal, not expected, and not something they believe he would have allowed to happen without a serious reason.
As the investigation continues, key questions remain unresolved: how Gracey became separated from his friends, how his phone came into police possession, why his wallet was later found in the sea, and who the unidentified person seen with him may have been. For now, authorities have said only that the inquiry remains open. His family, meanwhile, is asking the public not to look away. They say anyone who saw Gracey in Barcelona in the early hours of 17 March, or who may know something about his movements after he left the Shôko area, should contact the number they have provided: 224-505-3886.
