Florida man, Reza Baluchi was arrested after a multi-day standoff where he threatened to harm himself if the Coast Guard attempted to remove him from his vessel. Image source: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook
Early this month, the United States Coast Guard arrested Reza Baluchi, a Florida man, during his attempt to run across the Atlantic Ocean in a “hydro pod” — a homemade watercraft designed like a human-sized hamsters wheel made of buoys and wire.
The craft is self-propelled by Baluchi running inside.
According to the criminal complaint filed in South Florida, the Coast Guard’s Valiant found Baluchi in his vessel roughly 70 nautical miles east of Geogia’s Tybee Island on August 26.
At the time, the Valiant had been preparing for Hurricane Franklin.
Baluchi told the Coast Guard officers that he was headed to London — a destination more than 6500 kilometres aways.
He was asked for his vehicle’s registration, stating it was registered in Florida but was unable to find registration.
The Coast Guard officers had instructed him to end his journey and join them on the Valiant, citing safety concerns; however Baluchi said he had a 12-inch knife and would attempt to kill himself if he was forced to leave his vessel.
The exchange continued across multiple days, during which Baluchi showed the officers two knives, as well as held wires and threatened to blow up himself and his vessel.
As second Coast Guard boat, the Campbell arrived to deliver food, water and news of the approaching hurricane. Baluchi continued to refuse leaving his vessel, but admitted to that the bomb was not real.
Eventually, on August 29, Baluchi was safely removed from his vessel and to the Campbell, to be brought ashore on Miami beach on September 1. He was arrested and released on a $250,000 bond.
This is not the first time that Baluchi has attempted to cross open water using such a vessel. As Coast Guard Special Agent Michael Perez states, he “has attempted voyages in a similar homemade vessel in 2014, 2016, and 2021, all of which resulted in USCG intervention.”
Baluchi was even the subject of a Vice documentary regarding his 2014 and 2016 attempts to travel from Florida to Bermuda in his craft.
During his 2014 attempt, Baluchi became lost and asked for directions from another, more traditional, boater. He eventually initiated a spot device to alert the Coast Guard for assistance after a cold front had knocked the bubble onto its side.
