The Florida man nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” who vowed to ride out Hurricane Milton in Tampa Bay on his 20-foot boat has survived.
Joseph Malinowski, 54, gained internet fame earlier this week after his story was shared on TikTok by Terrence Concannon. The college senior first encountered Lt. Dan at the end of September when he braved Hurricane Helene.
Thousands of people became invested in Malinowski, praying for his survival as the Category 5 storm barreled towards shore.
Despite multiple attempts from Concannon, local officials, and even The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, Malinowski refused to 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.”
Even though the storm surged was predicted to be in excess of nine feet in the Tampa Bay Area, Malinowski was not frightened.
“If the tide goes up, I go up. As long as the water stays out of the boat, I’ll be fine.”
Wednesday afternoon into early evening, as conditions began to deteriorate, the only thing people could do was pray Malinowski made it out alive. With a boat that did not run, he was nothing but a sitting duck.
Just before midnight, NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin, who checked on Malinowski Wednesday afternoon, paid a visit to the seafarer.
Entin called out to “Lieutenant Dan” several times before Malinowski casually popped his head out from his boat. Although his boat was stuck due to the low water, he was “fine.”
Once the storm passed, Malinowski detailed his experience on TikTok.
“I’m good, I’ve got everything I need, I’ve got plenty of water, I’ve got plenty of food. I could be in here for two weeks,” he said, adding, “I’ve got everything I need – coffee, creamer, everything.”
“I made it through unscathed. It was pretty good,” he told Sky News.
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