MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office shared new details this afternoon related to Monday's theft of a luxury yacht from a local marina, resulting in a chase for more than an hour and the eventual arrest of a Russian man.
The suspect was identified as Nikolai Vilkov, 29, a Russian national who investigators believe was attempting to flee to the Bahamas after the 68-foot vessel was stolen at the Blowing Rocks Marina near Tequesta.
WATCH BELOW: Martin County sheriff shares new details on yacht arrest
Calling the situation "bizarre," Sheriff John Budensiek said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference that the sequence of events began hours before the yacht was stolen.
Budensiek said just after 1 a.m. Monday, Vilkov arrived at the Lucky Shuck restaurant in Jupiter, parking his Tesla in a valet area. Surveillance video showed Vilkov then wandering in the area behind other nearby restaurants, where multiple boats are docked and stored along the Loxahatchee River.
Shortly after 2 a.m., the sheriff said a TowBoat US boat's GPS came online, saying it was moving, heading north, then east before becoming stuck on a sandbar near the Jupiter Inlet.
WATCH BELOW: Martin Co. sheriff describes how they pursued, stopped stolen yacht
Budensiek said Vilkov got off the boat and made his way to the north side of the inlet near the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, walking along U.S. Highway 1, where Jupiter police encountered him at about 3 a.m.
Police had a conversation with Vilkov and knew that the towboat had been stolen earlier in the night, but at the time could not connect him to the theft.
Budensiek said that from about 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Vilkov's whereabouts are unclear, but the suspect told investigators that he was sleeping on a boat in the area.
The sheriff said that about noon or 1 p.m. Monday, Vilkov arrived at Blowing Rocks Marina and for about "a three-hour" period was at the Tiki 52 restaurant, traveling back and forth to the dock where the yacht was located.
At that time, witnesses said Vilkov was spotted inside the 68-foot yacht, prepping the boat for launch, which Budensiek described as a "complex process" for a vessel of that size. During this time, the sheriff said he was interacting with people, attempting to blend in with the public.
The sheriff said they were notified at 3:55 p.m. by the dockmaster that the yacht had been stolen.
Budensiek said their marine units, Jupiter Island police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pursued Vilkov for about an hour and a half.
Marine units eventually pushed the yacht into mangroves near the Hobe Sound Bridge, taking Vilkov into custody.
Budensiek said the yacht sustained a "significant amount" of damage after it was temporarily grounded on a sandbar and also after deputies used their boats to push the three-story vessel into the mangroves.
Investigators believe he may have been trying to get to the St. Lucie Inlet and then to the Atlantic Ocean since he got stuck in the Jupiter Inlet earlier that morning.
"He clearly didn't know how to operate that boat to its ability, or we would have been chasing him probably eastbound in the Atlantic Ocean," Budensiek said on Monday.
Vilkov claimed he didn't know English, but given that he interacted with Jupiter police the previous night and had spoken to people at the marina, investigators knew he understood English.
Once he was interviewed by detectives, Budensiek said Vilkov was caught in a "multitude of lies" and at one point claimed to be insane, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said it's unclear how Vilkov made it to South Florida, but in November 2022, he, his wife and their child flew from Turkey to Mexico. Then on Dec. 13, 2022, they made their way to the Mexico-Texas border and asked for and were granted asylum to enter the United States.
"From 2022 up until this year, we really don't know much about his movement within the country," Budensiek said. "We know we have a driver's license that shows that he's from Charlotte, North Carolina."
The sheriff said that on April 30, his wife and child legally flew back to Russia, and at some point thereafter, Vilkov traveled to South Florida.
Vilkov currently faces the following charges:
- Grand theft of a motor vehicle
- Aggravated fleeing and eluding
- Resisting arrest without violence
Budensiek said Vilkov will also face charges in the TowBoat US theft in Jupiter early Monday morning. Investigators are working with the FBI and Homeland Security on the case.
"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."
Vilkov is being held without bond at the Martin County jail. He had not previously been arrested in the U.S., according to the sheriff.
The sheriff’s office said they are asking the public to contact them if they had any interactions with Vilkov before he was taken into custody.
