Man-made hamster wheel found, towed to Atlantic Beach in North Carolina

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. (WCTI) — A man-made hamster wheel is now sitting at the docks in North Carolina after a man tried to cross the ocean in it.

Members of the Capt. Stacy Fishing Charter Fleet found the hydropod several miles offshore and towed it to Atlantic Beach, as they did not want any other boats to crash into it.

The contraption was made by Reza Baluchi, who attempted to cross the ocean in it.

Baluchi was arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard as they deemed him to be "conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage."

He threatened to harm himself if anyone tried removing him from the pod, displaying a 12-inch knife.

He also said he had a bomb and that he would either kill himself or blow himself up if the Coast Guard attempted to remove him.

Baluchi was eventually safely removed from the wheel and brought ashore in Miami Beach, Florida and admitted the bomb he said he had was not real.

Baluchi was released from jail on a $250,000 bond. He is restricted to stay out of the ocean and not to board a ship or vessel of any kind per his bond agreement.

It wasn't the first time he's attempted the impossible feat.

The daredevil attempted similar trips in the same kind of "hydropod vessel" in 2014, 2016 and 2021, which were all cut short with U.S. Coast Guard rescues.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: WPEC's Troy Myers contributed to this report.