Naked man steals dinghy, leaps onto catamaran. NYPD chases on Hudson River, arrests him.
In a plot ripped from an off-kilter action comedy, a 40-year-old Brooklyn man made the Hudson River his own getaway on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The guy allegedly commandeered a tiny dinghy from the Dykman Street Marina in Manhattan at about noon, embarking on a chaotic nautical adventure that had marina workers and the NYPD scrambling, the New York Post reported.
The ordeal started when the 'very fit-looking' man was first seen acting strangely at the Dykman Street Marina, fully dressed then. Staff members ordered him away because of his strange acts. But in a turn of events no one could possibly imagine, he came back soon afterward stark naked, climbed into an unmanned dinghy, and sped down the Hudson River, leaving the marina workers shocked.
The NYPD was not slow to react. Both the Harbour and Aviation Units were sent out to follow the man on water and in the air. As if playing out a Hollywood pirate scenario, the suspect then abandoned the stolen dinghy and walked onto a nearby catamaran, which was docked in the river.
"He leaps from boat to boat," a police source explained to the Post, encapsulating the man's strange marinaro stunts. Harbour Unit officers boarded the catamaran, arrested him, and sent him to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for a medical checkup. No motive or medical information has been made public at this point, and charges are not yet filed, nypost.com reported.
The disruption started earlier in the afternoon when the man was asked to leave the marina after he behaved erratically. Rather than departing permanently, he reappeared naked and took over a dinghy before staff members could respond.
The Dykman Street Marina, a popular recreational boating destination in Inwood, became the setting for one of the most bizarre waterway incidents of the year.
Due to NYPD's Harbour and Aviation Units' quick coordination, however, the man didn't make it far. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and the involved boats were left without damage. The incident, although it ended without physical damage, shocked many marina regulars, nypost.com reported.
This isn't the first time that the Hudson River witnessed bedlam this year. A yacht loaded with 400 passengers, in June 2025, crashed into a dock off West Harlem, injuring 35 individuals, as reported by abc7ny.com. Only last month, a devastating crash between the Brooklyn Bridge and a Mexican Navy ship killed two crew members, according to nytimes.com.
Even as of 2022, a fatal boat overturn near the Intrepid claimed two lives, pointing to the persistent safety issues along the Hudson, according to nbcnewyork.com.
The NYPD's Harbour Unit, experienced in dealing with river emergencies, once again demonstrated their preparedness in responding to unpredictable situations, the latest involving a naked thrill-seeker and a hot-dinged dinghy.
