A man in Florida who goes by the nickname “Lieutenant Dan” because of his one leg (a reference to the movie Forrest Gump) is refusing to evacuate Tampa Bay as hurricane Miltom aims to make landfall.
Lt. Dan, whose real name is Joseph Malinowski went viral on X and TikTok after he refused to evacuate Tampa Bay.
Malinowski told the press, “I’m not going anywhere because the safest place to be is on a boat in a flood.”
He added, “We learned that with Noah. Everyone who stayed on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived.”
Watch him here:
A Florida man who goes by the name of Lieutenant Dan on account of his one leg is refusing to evac Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/zDEm7u2Fo5
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 9, 2024
Lt Dan down in Tampa Bay refusing to leave his 20 foot boat that he says will float no matter how high the water gets. Tampa police says they will have to forcibly remove him if he doesn’t leave. pic.twitter.com/lB6rVGkVZ3
— Skip Westfall (@Swestfall) October 9, 2024
Per WJTV:
A Tampa man who goes by the nickname “Lt. Dan” has caused a flurry of online concern for his safety during Hurricane Milton.
Lt. Dan, whose real name is Joseph Malinowski, went viral from videos posted by TikTok user Tampa Terrence, which gained a large following of people who were worried because he refused to evacuate the sailboat in which he was living.
When encountered by NewsNation’s Brian Entin, Malinowski said he was “fine” and would not leave his boat.
“I’m not going anywhere because the safest place to be is on a boat in a flood,” he said. “We learned that with Noah. Everyone who stayed on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived.”
Days before the hurricane, Malinowski rejected offers of help from people and was even visited by Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw, who asked him to leave.
After many attempts to get him evacuated, Florida man ‘Lieutenant Dan’ insists he’s not leaving his boat and will ride out the hurricane
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 9, 2024
Per NBC News:
University of Tampa senior Terrence Concannon was walking his usual route from school in mid-September when he encountered something out of the ordinary: a man in a sailboat, caught in the wind and being dragged out to sea.
“Not a single person would help me,” Concannon recalled the man explaining after the rescue. “They all think I’m crazy or something.”
But Concannon told NBC News that he did help, dragging a rope and pulling 54-year-old Tampa, Florida, resident Joseph Malinowski safely back to the dock — where he vowed to stay, rain or shine.
ADVERTISEMENTThe encounter was the beginning of what would become a viral saga and national news story, with Concannon documenting Malinowski’s determination to stay on his boat through Hurricane Helene, and now Hurricane Milton, for millions of TikTok viewers.
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