A Florida man’s attempt to traverse the Atlantic Ocean using a self-constructed hamster wheel has led to federal charges, as it took the U.S. Coast Guard five days to safely bring him ashore, according to a criminal complaint filed in Miami.

Reza Ray Baluchi, 51, was located by the Coast Guard approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia, on August 26, during preparations for Hurricane Franklin, as outlined in the federal court complaint.

On Tuesday, Baluchi was charged with obstruction of boarding and violation of a captain of the port order.

Baluchi informed the Coast Guard crew that he was attempting to navigate his “hydro-pod” vessel to England and claimed to have Florida registration on board, which he was unable to produce for them, ABC News reported.

According to the complaint, officers determined that the vessel was “afloat as a result of wiring and buoys,” and concluded that Baluchi was undertaking “a manifestly unsafe voyage.”

When they attempted to persuade him to leave the vessel, Baluchi brandished a knife and threatened self-harm, as detailed by Coast Guard Special Agent Michael A. Perez in the complaint.

The following day, Baluchi threatened to detonate an explosive when the Coast Guard once again urged him to abandon the vessel, according to Perez’s account.

Upon seeing Baluchi handling wires, they sought assistance from the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit to assess the potential blast radius of the alleged bomb.

On August 28, the Coast Guard cutters Campbell and Valiant arrived on the scene to provide support. They dispatched a small boat to deliver provisions, water, and hurricane predictions to Baluchi. Despite repeated orders to disembark, Baluchi resisted but stated that the bomb was not real, as reported by Perez.

Finally, on August 29, the Coast Guard successfully removed Baluchi from the vessel. He was subsequently transported to the Coast Guard base in Miami Beach on September 1.

Written by staff