A man who was trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Florida waters in a boat shaped like a “hamster wheel” was arrested on criminal charges and must appear in a Miami court after several attempts to realize what he describes as “a dream,” authorities reported.
Ray Baluchi, aka “Reza Ray Baluchi,” 44, faces federal charges after U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) officials rescued him 70 miles (112 km) from Tybee Island, a town located in Chatham County, Georgia.
The adventurer was found on August 26 in his “strange contraption” of a hamster wheel by agents of the Seventh District of the Coast Guard, according to a criminal complaint to which EFE had access this Wednesday.
“Based on the condition of the ship, which was afloat thanks to cables and buoys, USCG officers determined that Baluchi was making a manifestly unsafe voyage,” the complaint states.
“Beginning on an unknown date and continuing through or about August 29, 2023, on the high seas, outside the jurisdiction of any particular state or district, in international waters, aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, the defendant violated” title 18 of the penal code of this country, it details. This title refers to “obstructing a boarding”.
Authorities said Baluchi said he was armed with a knife and would try to commit suicide if officers tried to remove him from the wheel in which he intended to travel.
According to information published today by FOX 10, for days, Coast Guard agents tried to get the adventurer to board a safe boat.
“At one point, the agents said he showed two knives and threatened to use a bomb to blow himself up, along with the tire,” the aforementioned media reports.
Local media indicated that Baluchi’s goal was to reach the United Kingdom. On August 29, officers were able to safely remove Baluchi from the hamster wheel and drive him to a Coast Guard base in Miami Beach, but it was not the first such incident he had been involved in.
In 2014, he had to be rescued from what he calls “a bubble” near the city of St. Augustine, on Florida’s east coast.
His second attempt was in 2016, where he had to be rescued from his capsule off the coast of Jupiter (130 km north of Miami).
Later, in the summer of 2021, police officers from Flagler County, also in Florida, found Baluchi when his hamster wheel washed ashore north in St. Augustine.
At that time, according to media reports, he stated that he was raising money for charities and was heading to New York.
According to an interview with FOX 35, Baluchi’s efforts were intended to raise money for various charitable causes, including the “homeless,” the Coast Guard, and the Police and Fire departments.
“My goal is not just to raise money for the homeless, but also for the Coast Guard, for the police department, and for the fire department. They’re in public service, they’re doing it for safety, and they’re helping other people.” Baluchi stated.
“I will never give up on my dream. I get stopped four or five times, but I never give up,” the adventurer reacted.
According to the Attorney for the Southeastern District of Florida, the arraignment of Baluchi is scheduled for September 15 before “the magistrate judge on duty” of a Miami court.
