A Russian man allegedly hijacked a multimillion-dollar yacht and led authorities on a high-stakes chase through Florida waterways on Monday.
Russian man steals $2.5 million yacht
According to law enforcement, 29-year-old Nikolai Vilkov, who had previously been granted asylum in the United States under the Biden administration, boarded a 68-foot luxury yacht on Monday afternoon and proceeded to steer the vessel away from the Blowing Rocks Marina.
The yacht, valued at roughly $2.5 million, had not been cleared to depart, as confirmed by its owner when contacted by authorities.
Witnesses at the marina told officers they observed Vilkov boarding and exiting the yacht repeatedly between 1 p.m. and 3:55 p.m.
By 4 p.m., the marina’s dockmaster notified local police that the vessel had gone missing, and police immediately responded.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), Jupiter Island police, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, launched a coordinated pursuit by sea. Marine and ground units joined forces in tracking the fleeing yacht through inland waterways.
Sheriff John Budensiek described the pursuit as one of the most unusual incidents he had encountered during his time with the department.
“This is a first for me and a first for the Sheriff’s Office that I’m aware of where we had a situation like this,” Budensiek stated.
“Because it’s such an unbelievable story, we started reaching out and trying to find out if this is a repo deal or if there was somebody allowed to use this vessel.”
Multiple agencies chase down stolen yacht
Vilkov was allegedly steering the yacht toward the St. Lucie Inlet, which is about 14 miles from the original marina.
Deputies maneuvering smaller police vessels pursued him with caution. Due to the yacht’s considerable size and multi-story structure, the sheriff explained, officers faced a tactical disadvantage.
“They locked onto the boat, realized that they were at extreme tactical disadvantage. We’re talking about a three-story, 68-foot yacht, and our vessels with one or two marine officers were not suited to safely take those individuals into custody,” Budensiek told reporters.
“They’re lower. They’re looking up. They can’t tell what they’re looking at,” he explained.
“And had he had the firepower, he could have caused problems for our deputies.”
To prevent Vilkov from escaping through a local drawbridge, officers initially ordered it to remain closed, intending to trap the yacht within a confined area.
However, as the vessel approached, safety concerns required officials to raise the bridge, extending the chase.
Eventually, officers maneuvered their boats alongside the much larger yacht and deliberately pushed it into a mangrove-lined section of the waterway, effectively grounding it and preventing further escape.
“They were bowing to the side of that vessel and just shoved him as he was trying to get forward momentum. They just shoved him up into the mangroves,” Budensiek described. “They grounded him to where he could not move forward anymore.”
Despite being surrounded, Vilkov initially refused to come out. Deputies then deployed tear gas and shouted commands.
The chemical agents eventually forced him onto the deck, where he was taken into custody.
“We couldn’t just let that vessel careen through our county and endanger people,” the sheriff noted, adding that the incident caused substantial damage to the yacht.
In addition to the yacht theft, Vilkov is believed to have been involved in an earlier incident involving a smaller vessel.
Surveillance footage showed him at the Lucky Shuck restaurant in Jupiter around 1 a.m. Monday.
He had parked his Tesla in the valet area and was later seen walking near other waterfront restaurants and marinas.
The GPS of a TowBoat US boat was activated after 2 a.m., showing movement toward the Jupiter Inlet before the boat became stuck on a sandbar.
Although officers encountered Vilkov shortly after 3 a.m., he was not immediately linked to the theft.
Authorities say Vilkov later slept aboard another boat docked at the marina before allegedly commandeering the luxury yacht that same afternoon.
Due to his limited English, Vilkov claimed he was unable to communicate during his arrest, despite speaking with police the day prior.
The Department of Homeland Security provided a Russian interpreter to assist during the investigation.
He now faces charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and resisting arrest without violence.
Vilkov remains in custody at the Martin County Jail with no bond.
Russian man entered U.S. through southern border
Sheriff Budensiek also addressed Vilkov’s immigration background during a press conference.
He stated that the suspect entered the United States through the Mexico-Texas border in December 2022 after arriving in Mexico a month earlier.
“He has an ICE detainer on him, and the next time he steals a vessel…it’ll be back in Russia, not here in the United States,” Budensiek said. “When he serves his time here, he’ll be deported out of our country.”
Authorities are currently looking into whether the Russian man may be tied to a broader criminal network.
“A theory, not necessarily a true theory, but a theory is this vessel was being stolen and moved to the Bahamas for a smuggling venture, but we have not been able to verify that,” Budensiek said, citing previous incidents where stolen Florida boats were found around the nearby Caribbean islands.
Budensiek noted that South Florida has been seeing an increase in maritime smuggling activity, as other entry points into the country have been subject to heavier enforcement.
“What we see here in South Florida is smuggling ventures. We know right now that the Texas border is locked down tight, the Mexican border is locked down tight, and we are expecting an influx of immigrant landings here in Florida,” he said.
