Russian stole motor yacht in US

What happened in Florida?

In early May, Martin County, Florida, was rocked by the theft of two vessels — a motorboat and a 20-meter motor yacht. Russian citizen Nikolai Vilkov was arrested on charges of hijacking and theft. He first hijacked a motorboat-tugboat in the area of Jupiter Island, but abandoned it, running it aground on a sandbar. Then he stole a motor yacht worth about $2 million.

Source: New York Post, nypost.com

The yacht chase ended in a ramming incident, with police boats driving the hijacked vessel into mangroves near the Hobe Sound Bridge. That's about six miles north of Blowing Rocks Marina, where the yacht was stolen. The pursuit lasted about an hour.

The operation involved boats from the Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Jupiter Island Police Department.

Details of the hijacking and detention

"Our guys got out on the boat, realized they were in a very tactically disadvantageous position," Martin County Sheriff John Budensick told WBPF News at a news conference. "We're dealing with a 68-foot, three-deck yacht, and our boats with one or two officers on board are simply not designed to make that kind of arrest."

Source: New York Post, nypost.com

However, the chase continued until the hijacker was effectively unable to maneuver the yacht. "Law enforcement decided that the safest course of action was to intentionally run the vessel aground. Several of our boats approached the hijacked yacht from the side, applied maximum thrust, and simply pushed it into the mangroves, where it was immobilized," the sheriff added.

"We couldn't let this yacht sail through the county uncontrolled, putting people in danger." During the operation, the yacht sustained serious damage - it was estimated at about $200,000. After that, SWAT teams arrived on the scene with gas grenades and cartridges to knock down doors. Vilkov was asked to surrender, but he did not respond.

Source: New York Post, nypost.com

"We used tear gas, and then he finally came out on the front deck, where SWAT officers took him into custody," Budensik said. "Tactically, we still have some work to do to be prepared for situations like this. This time, everything ended well - no one was hurt, but it could have been much worse." Vilkov, according to the sheriff, admitted to stealing the yacht, but did not explain his motives.

“During interrogation, he was confused in his testimony, tried to pass himself off as mentally ill, but at the same time calmly answered more complex questions,” Budensik noted.

Working version of the reason for the hijacking

The sheriff has his own hypothesis. “It’s just a theory,” he emphasized. “But given that the Texas and Mexican borders are tightly controlled now, we expect an influx of illegal landings in the Florida area. It’s possible that this yacht was going to be taken to the Bahamas for smuggling operations. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s a possibility.”

Source: New York Post, nypost.com

Vilkov is charged with hijacking a boat and is also placed on immigration detainer, with deportation to Russia after serving his sentence in Martin County.

The incident occurred early in the morning of May 5, 2025. According to police, Vilkov abandoned his Tesla and then stole a TowBoatUS tugboat in Palm Beach. He soon ran the tugboat aground and left on foot. Later that day, he was spotted at the dock, boarding and disembarking the motor yacht several times before finally sailing away. The owner confirmed that the boat was never supposed to leave the dock.

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20.05.2025