Florida Man Tries To Cross Atlantic In A Hamster Wheel, Faces Federal Charges
A Florida man was arrested last month following a peculiar three-day maritime standoff with the US Coast Guard, as he attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean using a hamster wheel-like contraption.
Reza Baluchi confronted federal charges of obstruction of boarding and violation of a Captain of the Port order after he was discovered 70 miles off the Georgia coast.
The USS Coast Guard cutter Valiant, patrolling the area at the time, detected the 51-year-old and successfully intercepted him. When questioned during the incident on August 26th, Mr. Baluchi claimed that his plan was to travel 4,000 miles all the way to London.
Right before summer was officially over, a 51-year-old athlete tried to cross the Atlantic in a giant hamster wheel-like contraption, only to get arrested
Image credits: reza.baluchi.9
After learning about Mr. Baluchi’s 4,000 miles trek, the US Coast Guard tried to persuade him to cancel the mission due to “manifestly unsafe” conditions
Image credits: FlaglerSheriff
When Coast Guard officers informed Mr. Baluchi that his voyage, deemed “manifestly unsafe” due to the contraption’s reliance on “wiring and buoys,” was being terminated, he responded by threatening to hurt himself with a 12-inch knife if anyone attempted to arrest him. Additionally, he claimed to possess a bomb on board, as indicated in the complaint filed in the US District Court in Florida.
On August 28th, following numerous attempts over several days to persuade Mr. Baluchi to abandon his mission, the Iranian American finally acknowledged that he did not possess a genuine bomb. Then, a day later, officers successfully convinced him to surrender.
After being informed that his trip was being cut short due to unsafe conditions, Mr. Baluchi threatened to hurt himself as well as others with a non-existent bomb
Image credits: FlaglerSheriff
Image credits: FlaglerSheriff
However, this wasn’t the only instance that the Iranian athlete-cum-activist tried a similar feat. Baluchi gained nationwide attention in 2021 for his endeavor to travel from Florida to New York in the Hydro Pod, but his journey came to an abrupt end when he washed up ashore just 25 miles later.
“I don’t have a car. I put everything in my life in it,” he told the New York Times at the time, saying “Now, I’m dead,” upon learning that his contraption would be confiscated, much like what has happened this time around.
After a three-day stand-off, the coast guards were able to take in the modern-day Columbus
Image credits: FlaglerSheriff
The self-made machine, which costs thousands of dollars to make, was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys and has a hammock inside
Image credits: FlaglerSheriff
Image credits: reza.baluchi.9
During his 1000-mile trek from Florida to New York, Mr. Baluchi envisioned reaching speeds of up to 6 knots in the current version of his vessel, equipped with a hammock for sleeping.
His strategy included catching and consuming fish for sustenance, along with using specialized anti-nausea gum to combat seasickness. Meanwhile, to safeguard himself from the jolts of rough seas, he had taken precautions like wearing a bicycle helmet and using a harness system.
In 2014, Mr. Baluchi required rescue from a similar contraption he simply calls “bubble” near St. Augustine, and subsequently, two years later, another rescue operation was needed off the coast of Jupiter, near Palm Beach in Florida.
However, this turned out to be Mr. Baluchi’s fourth time attempting a similar feat – a goal he started pursuing in 2014
Image credits: reza.baluchi.9
According to the man himself, his goal was to raise money for homeless people and – ironically – the US Coast Guard
Image credits: reza.baluchi.9
Mr. Baluchi is a former professional cyclist who was born in Iran and was granted asylum in the United States
Image credits: reza.baluchi.9
According to earlier interviews, Mr. Baluchi cited his motivations for these voyages as raising funds for multiple causes, including initiatives aimed at helping the homeless and – ironically – supporting the Coast Guard.
“My goal is to not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the Coast Guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department,” he told WOFL-TV in 2021.
Mr. Baluchi was granted release this Tuesday after posting a $250,000 bond and solemnly pledging to abstain from any further endeavors of a similar nature
Image credits: www.facebook.com
According to court documents, Mr. Baluchi was granted release on Tuesday after posting a $250,000 bond. The documents explicitly state that he “may not go to the ocean or board a vessel on to the ocean.”
Meanwhile, people online were amazed by the man’s unwavering commitment
He threatened the coastguard with a knife and claimed to have a bomb and he's the good guy? What an absolute bell-end.
What kind of an idiot do you hafta be to think to threaten people with a bomb? What an absolute 🫏🕳️. I hope he keeps failing.
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The anti nausea gum part had me rolling. Being a sea hamster would make me seasick too.
... until he dies on his next attempt and there's public outrage how the coast guard "did nothing to help"
Or he puts his life in danger by running out of food or gets caught in a storm and he needs to be rescued. Thereby, costing thousands of $$$.
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Can people please stop making unsafe trips just to feed their egos? It'd be all for it if we could just have an agreement of not making any attempt to rescue or care for them in hospital, but we're no barbarians. So these folks always rely on society to buy them out when their literal ego-trip goes haywire.
Reminds me of the UK guy who used to navigate his boat using a road map. The lifeguard (RNLI) kept having to rescue him and he was wasting a lot of their time, which is putting others at risk. I know they banned him but he kept going, no idea whether he's still doing it. Although this bloke just sounds like a narcissist.
At first I thought “why not leave him alone?” But then read that he’s had to be rescued more than once, so they were just preventing having to undergo another rescue mission,
I love his goals and commitment, and am annoyed with the Coast Guard, but threatening people with a bomb is inexcusable.
And he’s had to be rescued at least twice. I think he’s proved he would need another
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Damn dude just go back to being a cyclist 😂 Much safer and with less legal fees
They put a 250k bond on him??? Like wtf. I've heard if violent crimes getting less
He threatened the coastguard with a knife and said he had rigged the hamster wheel with a bomb. This is also his fourth time of pulling this sort of stupid stunt.
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Oh I live near him, and I can barely put m6 foot in the ocean. Sick dude.
Actually lucky him ... do you see the Cat4 hurricane that would have been in his path. And, correction: "The USS Coast Guard cutter Valiant" ... NOT USS but USCGC Valiant.
They should have just let him go and unalive himself. Well, except for the amount of plastic his stupid contraption would have added to the environment. _That_ would be a tragedy.
You're telling me that a former president got a 200k bond for what is essentially treason and this guy got a 250k bond for a hamster wheel? The f**k?
Us Government off shore border limit is 12 miles. He was 70 miles out in international waters. Coast guard had no authority out in international waters unless asked.
I know where all the places he tried to travel off are, and I live near one of them, lol. 😂
aww I just missed him. We were just in Flagler Beach a few months ago visiting some family. Beautiful area.
Who exactly is he hurting, except potentially himself? What a waste of time and money by the Coast Guard, the sheriff's office, and the courts! If he wants to jeopardize his own life in this endeavor then let him!
He threatened the coastguard with a knife and claimed to have a bomb and he's the good guy? What an absolute bell-end.
What kind of an idiot do you hafta be to think to threaten people with a bomb? What an absolute 🫏🕳️. I hope he keeps failing.
Load More Replies... The anti nausea gum part had me rolling. Being a sea hamster would make me seasick too.
... until he dies on his next attempt and there's public outrage how the coast guard "did nothing to help"
Or he puts his life in danger by running out of food or gets caught in a storm and he needs to be rescued. Thereby, costing thousands of $$$.
Load More Replies... Can people please stop making unsafe trips just to feed their egos? It'd be all for it if we could just have an agreement of not making any attempt to rescue or care for them in hospital, but we're no barbarians. So these folks always rely on society to buy them out when their literal ego-trip goes haywire.
Reminds me of the UK guy who used to navigate his boat using a road map. The lifeguard (RNLI) kept having to rescue him and he was wasting a lot of their time, which is putting others at risk. I know they banned him but he kept going, no idea whether he's still doing it. Although this bloke just sounds like a narcissist.
At first I thought “why not leave him alone?” But then read that he’s had to be rescued more than once, so they were just preventing having to undergo another rescue mission,
I love his goals and commitment, and am annoyed with the Coast Guard, but threatening people with a bomb is inexcusable.
And he’s had to be rescued at least twice. I think he’s proved he would need another
Load More Replies... Damn dude just go back to being a cyclist 😂 Much safer and with less legal fees
They put a 250k bond on him??? Like wtf. I've heard if violent crimes getting less
He threatened the coastguard with a knife and said he had rigged the hamster wheel with a bomb. This is also his fourth time of pulling this sort of stupid stunt.
Load More Replies... Oh I live near him, and I can barely put m6 foot in the ocean. Sick dude.
Actually lucky him ... do you see the Cat4 hurricane that would have been in his path. And, correction: "The USS Coast Guard cutter Valiant" ... NOT USS but USCGC Valiant.
They should have just let him go and unalive himself. Well, except for the amount of plastic his stupid contraption would have added to the environment. _That_ would be a tragedy.
You're telling me that a former president got a 200k bond for what is essentially treason and this guy got a 250k bond for a hamster wheel? The f**k?
Us Government off shore border limit is 12 miles. He was 70 miles out in international waters. Coast guard had no authority out in international waters unless asked.
I know where all the places he tried to travel off are, and I live near one of them, lol. 😂
aww I just missed him. We were just in Flagler Beach a few months ago visiting some family. Beautiful area.
Who exactly is he hurting, except potentially himself? What a waste of time and money by the Coast Guard, the sheriff's office, and the courts! If he wants to jeopardize his own life in this endeavor then let him!
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