Man arrested following three-day standoff as he tried crossing Atlantic in human-powered hamster wheel
Dominic Smithers
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@FlaglerSheriff
A man was arrested after trying to cross the Atlantic in a human-sized hamster wheel.
Reza Baluchi, who is no stranger to stunts like this, was found around 70 nautical miles off Tybee Island, Georgia, on 26 August.
It turns out that he was trying to get all the way to the UK, some 4,000 miles away. Which is ambitious, to say the least.
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According to the affidavit of Baluchi's arrest, the US Coast Guard picked him up while out preparing for Hurricane Franklin, which swept through the region last month.
Understandably concerned for his safety, the Coast Guard attempted to pull him back in to shore and cut his crazy stunt very short.
"The Vessel was occupied with one male passenger, later identified as Baluchi," it reads.
"Upon arriving at the Vessel, USCG officers asked standard boarding questions, to include requesting the registration of the Vessel.
"Baluchi informed the USCG officers that he had a Florida registration on board his Vessel, but he was unable to locate it.
"He also advised USCG officers his intended destination was London, England.
"Based on the condition of the Vessel which was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys USCG officers determined Baluchi was conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage."
However, despite the Coast Guard's efforts to get Baluchi back to land, he is said to have become aggressive, and even threatened to harm himself with a large knife.
He then threatened to set off a bomb if anyone came near him, leading to a three-day stand-off, with food and other supplies being brought out to him.
This morning, the #FCSO responded to a call about a vessel washing ashore in the Hammock area.
— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 24, 2021
Thank you to the concerned citizens who reported this. We are happy to announce that the occupant of the vessel is safe with no injuries! #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/zlenQd1tX7
It later turned out that the bomb wasn't real and he was eventually taken back to shore by the Coast Guard.
Baluchi now faces charges of obstruction of a boarding, and violation of a Captain of the Port order for this latest attempt.
This isn't he first time he's tried a similar bizarre stunt, though.
Back in 2014, after two years of training, he tried to make his way from Pompano Beach, Florida, and trace the Bermuda Triangle.
In total, the journey would have seen him travel around 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to Bermuda, to Puerto Rico, and back to Miami.
However, as with his latest attempted, the Coast Guard, who had warned him that the expedition was too dangerous, eventually picked him up approximately 185 miles (298 km) north of where he started.