Baluchi was taken into custody on September 1 after the Coast Guard apprehended him 70 miles off the coast of Georgia. Photo: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
In one of the stranger Florida Man headlines, a Florida man has been arrested for trying to cross the Atlantic in a giant hamster wheel.
According to police reports, 44-year-old Reza Baluchi is looking at federal charges after the Coast Guard rescued him approximately 70 miles from Tybee Island, a barrier island and small city near Savannah, Georgia. His plans were, if you can believe them, to run in the hamster wheel all the way to London. He was first spotted on August 26, although it took a few days before officials were able to coax him out of the hamster wheel.
“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,” a criminal complaint says.
His vessel consisted of a large metal drum that had buoys on each side. Baluchi had attached paddles to the outside that were attached to a runner inside. As one would expect of a giant metal drum with buoys on each side, Baluchi couldn’t give authorities the required registration for his water vehicle. He did, however, explain that he planned on running his hamster wheel all the way to England.
At the end of August Baluchi posted a video to YouTube explaining his plan and showing his floating contraption.
When the Coast Guard informed him that he would not be continuing his journey, Baluchi said he would end his own life with a knife. He also said there was a bomb in his drum. He refused to leave his vessel until September 1, when he eventually admitted that he did not have a bomb with him. He was removed from his hamster ball at the USCG Base in Miami Beach, Florida.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time Baluchi has attempted a stunt like this. It’s reported that he’s tried similar voyages in 2014, 2016 and 2021, all of which have ended with Coast Guard intervention. Now, he’s looking at charges of obstruction of a boarding and violation of a Captain of the Port order, both of which are federal charges.
Baluchi told Fox News that he was trying to raise money for charity, a claim that raised a few eyebrows.
“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,” Baluchi said. “They are in public service, they do it for safety, and they help other people.”
He also said he has no plans to stop trying. “I’ll never give up my dream,” he said. “They stop me four or five times, but I never give up.”
