‘Below Deck’ star Captain Kerry Titherage in tense yacht encounter with ICE

See more of our coverage in your search results. Talk about an ICE-y reception! While at the helm of a yacht owned by an NBA star, “Below Deck” star Captain Kerry Titherage found himself in a tense encounter with federal agents, including masked ICE officers, Page Six has learned. We’re told he had just captained a nine-day trip in the Bahamas and was sailing back to Miami when one of the vessel’s four engines failed. Captain Kerry Titherage (posing for a “Below Deck” promotional shot) found himself in a tense encounter with federal agents. Kerry (seen here on “Below Deck”) had suffered two engine failures when he was approached by ICE off the coast of Florida. Stephanie Diani/Bravo According to a salty source, about 10 miles off the Florida coast, a second engine failed, leaving Captain Kerry struggling to navigate increasingly rough waters. He called emergency service Towboat US for assistance. But instead, he found himself approached by two federal vessels, one operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the other by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We’re told one boat carried three or four agents while the other held seven or eight masked officers. He was approached by approximately 12 officers. Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images He was tailed by the officers for almost two hours before they were allowed on the vessel. Ralph Bavaro/Bravo via Getty Images Insiders say the agents demanded he slow down and allow them to board. But Titherage, who has over 30 years of experience working on boats, refused. He worried that reducing speed and the rough conditions would be dangerous. The federal boats tailed him for approximately two hours, we’re told, until Captain Kerry was able to slow down safely and they eventually boarded the yacht. Agents searched the yacht for contraband and examined passengers’ passports, spending about an hour scrutinizing the visa of a female foreign national on board, before allowing the vessel to land. Officers searched the vessel for contraband and spent an hour studying the passport of a guest. A rep for Captain Kerry told Page Six, “We are glad the situation didn’t escalate and that everyone left safely.” Ralph Bavaro/Bravo A rep for Captain Kerry told Page Six, “We are glad the situation didn’t escalate and that everyone left safely.” ICE didn’t respond to our request for comment. The Captain made his reality TV debut on “Below Deck Adventure” in 2022 and took over for longtime star Captain Lee Rosbach from “Below Deck” in 2024. He’s steered the flagship ever since. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!