5 Things to Know About TikTok's Lieutenant Dan After Hurricane Milton

Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

Viral TikTok sensation , 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, Florida.

“Right now, I’m waiting for the storm surge to come in to raise the boat up,” Lieutenant Dan calmly explained in a Wednesday, October 9, TikTok posted the same day that Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, about 65 miles from Tampa. “The boat’s gonna go up, and I’ll go up with it, and when the water goes out, I’ll come back down again.”

Lieutenant Dan’s decision to “ride out” the storm on his boat came after the National Hurricane Center cautioned that Milton’s storm surge could inundate Tampa with 10-15 feet of water. Tampa mayor warned that people who didn’t leave mandatory evacuation zones were “going to die” during an appearance on CNN. Lieutenant Dan, however, made it through in one piece.

“I’m fine,” he told a reporter from NewsNation after the storm hit, per CBS news.

Keep scrolling for everything to know about the unlikely TikTok star Lieutenant Dan:

Why Didn’t Lieutenant Dan Evacuate? Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

The tattooed mariner explained his decision to stay put in a Tuesday, October 8, video shared by TikToker Terrence Concannon, also known as Tampa Terrence.

“I put my faith in God. I don’t put my faith in man,” Dan said. “God told me to come out here and get a boat. I came out here and got a boat. Everything he’s been telling me the last few days, I’m doing the right thing. He got my back. I’m in good shape. I ain’t sweating it.”

Lieutenant Dan’s decision worried those following his story online as Milton’s predicted storm surge, which refers to a rise in the seawater level caused by a storm, was as high as 15 feet for Tampa. That combined with wind gusts of up to 120 mph made Dan’s followers nervous for him.

However, after the storm, National Weather Service meteorologist told USA Today that Tampa instead experienced a reverse surge that drove water away from the shoreline.

Lieutenant Dan previously spent Hurricane Helene hunkered down on his boat in September 2024.

Why Was Lieutenant Dan Allowed to Stay On His Sailboat During Hurricane Milton? Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

On October 8, Tampa Terrence shared footage of the Chief of Tampa Police telling Lieutenant Dan that the evacuation order wasn’t “voluntary” and law enforcement officials would be back to escort him off his boat if he didn’t leave. Mayor Castor said during an October 9 press conference that Lieutenant Dan had been brought to a shelter, WFLA reported. However, he returned to his boat later that day.

“Dan is not leaving the boat for the hurricane. He is staying on that boat. There’s been many attempts to get him off this boat. People have offered houses, hotel rooms, apartments, he will not leave,” Terrence explained in an October 9 TikTok video.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe

By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly

Deal of the DayScore The ‘No Needle Botox’ Serum Kate Middleton Uses on a Rare 30% off Sale!View Deal

Check our latest news in Google News

Follow Us

Check our latest news in Apple News

Follow UsjQuery( document ).ready( function( $ ) { let randomNumber = Math.floor( Math.random() * 100 ), is_spanish = false, is_featured_post = false; if ( randomNumber < 96 && $( '#news-block .shop-with-us__container' ).length ) { $( '#news-block .shop-with-us__container' ).show(); $( '#news-block .news-widget, #news-block .newsletter-form' ).remove(); } else { if( $( '#news-block .shop-with-us__container' ).length ) { $( '#news-block .shop-with-us__container' ).remove(); } if ( is_spanish ) { // 99% should be newsletter signup if ( randomNumber < 99 ) { $( '#news-block .news-widget' ).remove(); } else { $( '#news-block .newsletter-form' ).remove(); $( '#news-block .news-widget' ).show(); } } else if ( is_featured_post ) { // no newsletter block $( '#news-block .newsletter-form' ).remove(); $( '#news-block .news-widget' ).show(); } else { // 50/50 if( 0 === parseInt( $.now() ) % 2 ) { $( '#news-block .news-widget' ).remove(); } else { $( '#news-block .newsletter-form' ).remove(); $( '#news-block .news-widget' ).show(); } } if ( navigator.userAgent.match( /(iPod|iPhone|iPad)/ ) ) { $( '#news-block .news-widget .google-news' ).remove(); } else { $( '#news-block .news-widget .apple-news' ).remove(); } } } ); How Did Lieutenant Dan Get His Nickname? Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

Lieutenant Dan’s nickname is a nod to the character of the same name from Forrest Gump, who is also a seafaring amputee. While the fictional character played by lost his legs after being injured in the Vietnam War, the real-life Lieutenant Dan had his left leg amputated below the knee when he was 16 following a car accident. He told the story in a TikTok video shared by Tampa Terrence on October 8.

Does Lieutenant Dan Have a Criminal History? Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

The Tampa news outlet WUFT reported on Monday, October 9, that Lieutenant Dan spent six months behind bars for allegedly punching a police officer and was arrested in 2023 over allegations that he tried to set a woman on fire with gasoline. The outlet, which is a PBS member television station, also reported that Lieutenant Dan has an October 2024 court date in a dispute over whether his sailboat is legally his.

Does Lieutenant Dan Have a GofundMe? Courtesy of jaysea331/TikTok

Tampa Terrence set up a GoFundMe page for the colorful character last month, seeking funds to cover Lieutenant Dan’s “every day living expenses” and “general livelihood.” He noted in the description that any money raised would go toward boat repairs, groceries, “furnishings for the boat and maybe even a gym membership.” The GoFundMe has raised over $39,000 to date and has a $100,000 goal.