A Florida man has been arrested after trying to "jump" to London across the Atlantic Ocean in a homemade hamster wheel-like craft.
On August 26, the US Coast Guard intercepted the Reza Baluchi about 110 kilometers from Tybee Island, the US state of Georgia.
As reported, the 44-year-old marathon runner refused to leave the vessel for three days.
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Baluchi had previously attempted three similar voyages, all of which ended in Coast Guard intervention.
An improvised home-made vessel, in the shape of a wheel, is propelled by pedals.
"Based on the condition of the vessel, [Coast Guard] officers determined that Baluchi had embarked on an unsafe voyage," the criminal complaint states.
Baluchi started his journey at a time when a major hurricane was expected to arrive.
Officials say he refused to get off the vessel and threatened to kill himself.
He also claimed to have a bomb, according to court documents.
On September 1, Baluchi surrendered and left the vessel, after which he was taken to the Coast Guard base in Miami.
The bomb claim was later found to be false.
He is now federally charged with obstructing boarding and violating a harbor master's order.
This was not Baluchi's first arrest for trying to travel in a self-made vessel he calls a "bubble".
He was arrested 2021, when he tried to drive from Florida to New York.
He was rescued while floating about 50 kilometers south of the place of departure.
A similar situation occurred in 2014, when he was rescued from another vessel near St. Augustine, and in 2016, when he was rescued off the coast of Jupiter, not far from Palm Beach, Florida.
Baluchi previously told the media that he collects donations for various purposes during his travels, including for the homeless and the Coast Guard.
"My goal is not only to raise money for the homeless, but also for the Coast Guard, the police and the fire department," he told VOFL-TV in Orlando in 2021.
"These are public services, they take care of security and help people," he added.
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