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.

Lieutenant Dan became an overnight sensation riding out Hurricane Milton. Then his long criminal past came to light - Joseph Malinkowski became a ‘cult hero’ overnight for his defiant stand in the face of Hurricane Milton.

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.