“Lieutenant Dan” Joseph Malinowski (Photos via Getty Images and Twitter)
Hurricane Milton is barreling across the Gulf of Mexico as a strong Category 4 storm on a path toward Florida, and at least one man is now listening to warnings to leave the area.
This is like something straight out of the movie Forest Gump, but in real life.
A one-legged Florida man nicknamed Lieutenant Dan, real name Joseph Malinowski, revealed he would not be heeding Tampa Bay’s evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton.
The monster storm is due to hit Florida later on Wednesday, and he refuses to leave the area.
Joseph Malinowski has zero fear, despite the fact that today might be the last day we see him alive on Earth.
Speaking from his boat in Tampa Harbor, Joe said: ‘The safest place to be is on a boat in a flood. We learned that with Noah.
‘Everyone that stayed on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived.’
He said: ‘I’m not worried. My life, this is nothing compared to what I’ve been through. This doesn’t scare me.
‘This is not even a minor inconvenience because all that’s going to happen is everyone is going to get wet, but I’m going to be fine because I’m in a boat that floats.’
#HurricanMilton
Lieutenant Dan Is Indeed The Man pic.twitter.com/JjicqkzGM8— V3T1XX (@Axoxxol) October 9, 2024
For everyone worried about “Lieutenant Dan” – I just talked to him. His real name is Joseph Malinowski.
He says he is going to stay on his sailboat in the Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/UJWE7EAazt— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 9, 2024
Many will call this man a fool, but such a man is what transformed the ancient world into the modern.
It is individuals like Lieutenant Dan who are risk takers by stepping themselves into the unknown.
They experiment and, in the process, put their lives on the line to see if it… pic.twitter.com/hiXE4EZrIH
— PAVASOV (@pavonomics) October 9, 2024
NEW: Florida man ‘Lieutenant Dan,’ who refuses to evacuate his 20-foot sailboat in Tampa Bay ahead of Hurricane Milton, has raised over $18K so far
Joe Sea shared a video explaining that “GOD” told him to “come out here and get a boat.” “He’s got my back. I’m in good shape. I’m… pic.twitter.com/peVp4kV9Vl
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) October 9, 2024
I’ve been following this lieutenant Dan lore for a few weeks now and he is planning to face the Cat 5 hurricane Milton on his 20-foot sailboat in the Tampa Bay
I will be devastated if he doesn’t make it but I believe he has the heart to survive pic.twitter.com/sGVva8bc8O
— Jack (not a burner) (@_jackmcpherson) October 8, 2024
It even reached the point where the Chief of Tampa police tried and failed to get the man to leave before Hurricane Milton made landfall.
#HurricanMilton
Lieutenant Dan Is Indeed The Man He will Not Step Down pic.twitter.com/3O3mqw73EU— V3T1XX (@Axoxxol) October 9, 2024
As far as how he lost a limb, it happened in a car accident when he was 16 years old.
He claimed he took his eyes off the road ‘for a second’ when he ran into another car going about 45mph.
Prayers are pouring in for “Lieutenant Dan” as he rides out Hurricane Milton.
The prayers from social media are pouring in for “Lieutenant Dan’s” life.
Godspeed Dan
— MattyIceTrades (@TheMytic3) October 9, 2024
Lieutenant Dan 🫡
— 5️⃣ (@5iftyTwo_) October 9, 2024
Thoughts and prayers will keep his boat in one piece 🤪
— Sophie (@SophieMargiela) October 9, 2024
Lieutenant Dan is a national treasure, keep him alive at all costs.
— Yabba Dabba Doo (@MidsPlug) October 9, 2024
‘I was expecting to be home in time for dinner. I got to the hospital, within minutes my entire family started showing up.’
His leg was amputated below the knee, and now he is being compared to Lieutenant Dan.
The National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Milton’s storm surge presented an “extremely life-threatening situation” for the western coast of Florida.
Joseph Malinowski is going to be in for a long and frightening night.
While the storm is expected to weaken before it makes landfall Wednesday night, “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” John Cangialosi, a specialist with the National Hurricane Center, warned on Tuesday.
