WATCH: USA ‘mangrove ramming’ thwarts Russian stealing $2 million yacht

A Russian national, Nikolai Vilkov, has been arrested and charged for stealing two boats in Martin County, Florida. The first a tow boat in Jupiter (which he abandoned after beaching on a sandbar), the second a luxury yacht worth around $2 million. Enforcement boats pursued the yacht and then rammed it into a mangrove thicket near Hobe Sound Bridge. That’s about six miles north of Blowing Rocks Marina from whence it was taken, with the chase lasting about an hour.

Multiple boats belonging to the the MCSO, Florida Fish & Wildlife and the Jupiter Island Police Department were involved in the incident.

“They locked onto the boat, [and] realised that they were at extreme tactical disadvantage,” Martin County sheriff John Budensiek told a press conference attended by WBPF News. “We’re talking about a three-story yacht, 68-foot, and our vessels with one or two marine officers were not suited to safely take those individuals into custody.”

That said, the chase continued until – in Budensiek’s words – the suspect appeared no longer be able to manoeuvre the yacht.

“They [law enforcement] came up with a plan of beaching the suspect vessel, the stolen vessel, which they did, and that consisted of multiple boats, smaller boats, powering heavily against the side of the stolen vessel and pushing it into the mangroves where it was disabled,” Budensiek continues.

“We couldn’t just let that vessel careen through our county and endanger people.” Budensiek says the yacht sustained a “significant amount” of damage during the operation. That’s since been estimated at around $200,000.

Next on the scene, SWAT operators appeared with tear gas and breaching rounds. Vilkov was asked to come out, but he did not respond.

“Gas was deployed, and he eventually did come out and worked his way to the front deck where SWAT operators took him into custody,” Budensiek says. “Tactically, we’ve got to go back to the drawing boards and make sure we’re in a position where we can mitigate these kinds of situations. We did a good job . . . and we’re thankful no one was hurt, but that could have been a lot worse.”

Vilkov has seemingly confessed to stealing the boat, but hasn’t said why he did it.

“During the interview, our suspect was caught in a multitude of lies. He, in our opinion, tried to fame that he was insane for a bit, and then he could answer questions that were more complex,” Budensiek says.

But Budensiek is brimming with ideas. “This is a theory only,” he says, “but 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.

“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.”

Vilkov is being charged with boat theft and an immigration detainer has also been put in place. He will be sent back to Russia when his sentence in Martin County in completed.

The incident occurred in the very early hours on 5 May 2025. According to reports, Vilkov parked his Tesla before taking a tow boat from TowBoatUS, Palm Beach. That boat then beached on a sand bar and Vilkov set off on foot. Later that day he was seen getting on and off the luxury yacht before departing on it. The the owner confirmed the boat should not have left the dock.

This video was released by Martin County Sheriff’s Office, via FaceBook.