Who is Joseph Malinowski, now known on TikTok as Lieutenant Dan?

A one-legged Florida man affectionately known as Lieutenant Dan online refused to leave his boat as Hurricane Milton reached his home state.

Joseph Malinowski, whose nickname comes from the amputee Forrest Gump character played by Gary Sinise, decided to go against crucial advice from experts and officials to evacuate.

Despite warnings to residents to leave their homes as the Category Three storm approached on Wednesday, 9 October, Lieutenant Dan decided to stay put, and his tenacity has made him an overnight viral sensation.

A TikToker in the Sunshine State known as @terrenceconcannon has been documenting Lieutenant Dan’s journey around the city of Tampa Bay, with his videos amassing millions of views.

The first video was shared when Florida was hit by Hurricane Helene last month.

The TikToker asked the sailor if he wanted to stay in a hotel, but Lieutenant Dan was just as firm on his decision to stay in his relatively small boat.

“God told me to come out here and get a boat, I came out here and got a boat,” he said in a video. “And everything that he’s been telling me over the last few days is. I’m doing the right thing. He’s got my back. I’m in good shape. I’m not sweating it.”

When asked if he’d be wearing a life jacket during the hurricane, Joe declared, “hell no”. He added he will be able to swim “in circles” if he has to, because he only has one leg.

In another interview with Sky News, Lieutenant Dan was asked if he felt anxious about the devastating weather. “As long as I keep the water outside of my boat, I’ll be fine”.

As Lieutenant Dan’s fans took to social media to ask for updates in the wake of Hurricane Helen battering Florida, Tampa MayorJane Castor confirmed on Wednesday that Lieutenant Dan had been rescued and taken to a shelter.

“He has been rescued, and he is now in a shelter as well,” she said during a press conference. ‘If we can get Lieutenant Dan to go to a shelter, we can get anybody to do that

However, NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin posted on X/Twitter in the early hours of Thursday morning that Lieutenant Dan had been spotted on his sailboat again.

He posted a short video of the sailor poking his head out of the canvas covering the sailboat’s cabin.

After calling out to Lieutenant Dan to ask if he’s alright.

Lieutenant Dan is okay! pic.twitter.com/0uthxRigRT

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 10, 2024

“I’m fine,” he called back, calmly.

Hurricane Milton is sweeping across Florida today, as Tampa is hit by flash floods, heavy rainfall and “catastrophic” winds. Efforts are still underway to evacuate.