Tampa Man Hell-Bent on Riding Out Hurricane Milton From His Boat Agrees to Evacuate
Joseph Malinowski survived Hurricane Helene from the same boat.
CIRA/NOAA/Reuters
Joseph Malinowski, aka Lieutenant Dan on TikTok, who was ardent about riding out Hurricane Milton from his small sailboat in Tampa’s harbor, has now reportedly agreed to evacuate. On Wednesday, TMZ reported that a Tampa Police spokesperson confirmed that Malinowski has agreed to leave, though TMZ didn’t specify when he plans to do it. A TikTok posted Wednesday by Tampa Terrence shows Malinowski on the dock by his boat, and a picture and video on X from journalist Brian Entin shows Malinowski still hunkered down. On Tuesday, he spoke to The Weather Channel about his plans to stay behind. “I know that God didn’t bring me this far for something to happen to me,” he told the outlet. According to Malinowski, God called him to Tampa. He previously successfully withstood the winds and flooding brought by Hurricane Helene at the end of September. Currently, Milton is a Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall Wednesday night.
For everyone worried about “Lieutenant Dan” - I just talked to him. His real name is Joseph Malinowski.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 9, 2024
He says he is going to stay on his sailboat in the Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/UJWE7EAazt
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