{"id":5149,"date":"2025-05-11T01:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T01:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/?p=5149"},"modified":"2025-05-13T13:14:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:14:51","slug":"florida-cops-pit-maneuver-a-yacht-like-its-a-stolen-hellcat-on-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/05\/11\/florida-cops-pit-maneuver-a-yacht-like-its-a-stolen-hellcat-on-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Cops PIT Maneuver A Yacht Like It\u2019s A Stolen Hellcat On Water"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/qrewcrercercecr-copy-1024x576-1.jpg\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<ul>\n<li>Deputies chased a stolen yacht through Hobe Sound, ending in a dramatic beach capture.<\/li>\n<li>The suspect, a man from Russia, allegedly stole the 65-foot vessel from a private dock.<\/li>\n<li>No injuries were reported, but the joyride caused damage to the yacht and local mangroves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some people unwind with coffee. Others, apparently, steal a yacht and try to outrun the police across Florida\u2019s waterways. Mondays are rarely easy, but for one Russian national and a handful of Florida law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/police\/\">enforcement agencies<\/a>, this one came with a bit more horsepower and salt spray than usual.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Nikolai Vilkov is accused of making off with a 68-foot, $2 million yacht, then leading police on a slow-motion aquatic pursuit. The whole thing played out like a mashup of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/gta\/\">Grand Theft Auto<\/a><\/em>, <em>Miami Vice<\/em>, and an improvised Arkansas-style PIT maneuver, only on water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2024\/03\/trooper-punted-into-guard-rail-after-failed-pit-maneuver-at-high-speed\/\">Trooper Punted Into Guard Rail After Failed PIT Maneuver At High Speed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The whole situation allegedly started around 1 p.m. local time, when witnesses reported seeing Vilkov around the vessel at Blowing Rocks Marina. Sometime between then and 4 p.m., he apparently boarded the yacht and set off. Once the dockmaster noticed the boat was gone, they reported it stolen.<\/p>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article-thumbnails-organic\"><\/div>\n<p>According to WPBF, authorities pulled out all the stops after the yacht owner confirmed that it was stolen. The Martin County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Florida Fish &amp; Wildlife, and the Jupiter Island Police Department all deployed boats in search of the yacht. Here\u2019s the thing, though. Yachts aren\u2019t exactly speedboats, so while it wasn\u2019t long before authorities found it, stopping it was another matter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThey locked onto the boat, realized that they were at extreme tactical disadvantage. We\u2019re 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,\u201d Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said. Once the yacht was in a tight enough spot, the authorities swooped in together though, and physically pushed it to the shore.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2024\/06\/is-this-230-hp-abarth-offshore-the-most-expensive-bath-toy-ever\/\">Is This 230-HP Abarth Offshore The Most Wacky Bath Toy Ever?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey 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,\u201d Budensiek explainbed. From that point on, they deployed tear gas and apprehended Vilkov.<\/p>\n<p><strong>No One\u2019s Sure Why He Did It<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As for why Vilkov allegedly took the yacht in the first place, that remains unclear. Authorities have floated a few possibilities, including a trip to the Bahamas or involvement in a smuggling operation. What isn\u2019t up for debate, though, is that the police can use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/03\/biker-tries-to-fool-arkansas-state-troopers-gets-pitted-anyway\/\">the PIT maneuver<\/a>, or at least something similar to it on the water, the same way they do on land. It just requires a few more boats and a healthy disregard for hull integrity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credit: WPLG Local 10<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deputies chased a stolen yacht through Hobe Sound, ending in a dramatic beach capture. The suspect, a man from Russia, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5149"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5152,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions\/5152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autofusiontech.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}