Florida man ‘Lt. Dan’ survives Hurricane Milton in sailboat

A Florida antheral who went viral for his committedness to riding retired Hurricane Milton successful his 22-foot sailboat has survived the storm.

Joseph Malinowski earned the moniker “Lieutenant Dan” connected societal media, aft the quality from the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump.”

As Milton approached Florida, Malinowski told reporters helium wouldn’t evacuate. Instead, helium would hop successful his sailboat and thrust retired the tempest successful Tampa Bay.

“I enactment my religion successful God. I don’t enactment my religion successful man,” Malinowski said successful a TikTok that went viral. “God told maine to travel retired present and get a boat. I came retired present and got a boat. Everything he’s been telling maine the past fewer days, I’m doing the close thing. He got my back. I’m successful bully shape. I ain’t sweating it.”

Malinowski was nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” successful portion due to the fact that his near limb is amputated beneath the knee, akin to the movie quality who mislaid some his legs during the film. In “Forrest Gump,” the rubric quality and Lieutenant Dan ride retired a hurricane connected a shrimp boat and survive.

And similarly, Malinowski survived Milton, though it appears improbable helium volition spell connected to pb a market-leading shrimp company.

“The hand of deity was implicit Tampa,” Malinowski said Thursday greeting successful a livestream. “It wasn’t excessively bad.”

Before Milton made landfall Wednesday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said authorities had relocated Malinowski to a structure up of the storm, but observers recovered him Thursday greeting connected the vessel successful Tampa Bay, harmless and sound. As the tempest approached, helium refused aggregate offers for help and insisted connected remaining successful the bay.