A Tampa man who refused to leave the sailboat he lives on survived Hurricane Milton. Joseph Malinowski went viral online before the storm made landfall. People gave him the nickname “Lieutenant Dan,” like the character from Forrest Gump.

TAMPA, Fla. — 54-year-old Joseph Malinowski, who has been dubbed “Lieutenant Dan” on social media, has survived record-breaking Hurricane Milton on his 20-foot sailboat.

Joseph Malinowski earned the nickname from the “Forrest Gump” character for riding out a hurricane on the water.

Joe Malinowski created a social media frenzy during Hurricane Milton when he refused to evacuate his sailboat home.

Viral TikTok sensation Lieutenant Dan, whose real name is Joe Malinowski, garnered concern after making it known that he had no plans to leave his 22-foot sailboat despite being parked in Hurricane Milton’s path in Tampa Bay,

A Tampa man nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” is safe after riding out Hurricane Milton in his sailboat. In videos shared by journalists on X (formerly known as Twitter) late on Wednesday, Oct. 9, the man — who has been named after the character played by actor Gary Sinise in the 1994 hit movie Forrest Gump — could be seen in his 20-foot boat on the water after the hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm.