Man leaves Coast Guard stunned after attempting to cross Atlantic in giant hamster wheel
Reza Baluchi in his hamster wheel vessel
USCG Southeast/Twitter (X)
The US Coast Guard have arrested a man after he was caught trying to cross the Atlantic in a human-sized hamster wheel.
Reza Baluchi from Florida, said he was trying to “run” to London after he was found 70 miles off the coast.
Coast Guard officials rescued the 44-year-old near Tybee Island, Georgia and faces federal charges for the act.
The marathon runner was asked “standard questions” by the officials after they found Baluchi floating in his bizarre hamster wheel contraption on August 26.
Baluchi's hamster wheel
Flagler County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Baluchi’s ‘ship’ was declared a “manifesting unsafe” vessel by officials and consisted of a giant metal drum with two fixed paddles attached on either side with a number of inflatable buoys rammed into them.
The vessel’s only form of propulsion was the runner inside and from pictures taken by the Coast Guard does not appear to have a method of steering.
“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 made over Baluchi’s crossing said.
Coast Guard officials asked Baluchi to provide the required registration for his water vehicle but the marathon runner was unable to provide them.
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Baluchi was found 70 miles off the coast
Flagler County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Baluchi threatened to kill himself with a 12-inch knife, which he had stowed in his hamster wheel, when the Coast Guard told him they were cutting his voyage to the UK short.
He also claimed to have a bomb on board.
Officers attempted to provide Baluchi with food, water and other provisions as they feared for his safety with Hurricane Idalia approaching.
After days of back and forth and failing to convince Baluchi to board their vessel, Baluchi finally agreed to disembark from his vessel on 29 August.
On 1 September, Baluchi was brought ashore at the USCG Base in Miami Beach Florida some 400 miles from where he was found.
Baluchi finally disembarked and was brought ashore in Florida
Flagler County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Court documents show that this was not Baluchi’s first run-in with the law as he had previously attempted a crossing in 2014, 2016 and 2021 - all of which ended in an intervention by the USCG.
“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 told Fox News.
“They are in public service, they do it for safety, and they help other people.”
He added: “I’ll never give up my dream. They stop me four or five times, but I never give up.”
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