Did Lieutenant Dan survive Hurricane Milton's passage through Tampa?

Florida has been witness to a story that has captured the attention of millions of users on social media. Joseph Malinowski, known as "Lieutenant Dan," decided to face the fury of Hurricane Milton in his small boat anchored in Tampa Bay.

This Wednesday, many people were attentive to his situation and had a constant question in their minds: Did Lieutenant Dan survive Hurricane Milton's passage through Tampa?

The TikTok user Tampa Terrence (@terrenceconcannon) was the one who popularized Malinowski on social media when he shared a video showing this man's determination to stay onboard a 20-foot-long boat, disregarding the authorities' warnings about the dangerous Hurricane Milton.

As the storm approached Tampa, millions of residents were moving to safe shelters, and this man said he would not leave his boat because God would not allow it.

Joseph Malinowski was willing to challenge whatever nature put in front of him, just like a literary and cinematic character, Lieutenant Daniel Taylor, better known as Lieutenant Dan, from the movie Forrest Gump, (1994) directed by Robert Zemeckis.

The Tampa police visited him several times, but his response was the same: "There is no reason to worry. The storm will only last a few hours. God told me not to abandon the ship. This is the best place; as long as the water is outside, there is no danger."

The followers feared the worst and had placed bets on what would happen to Joseph Malinowski during Hurricane Milton's passage, initially categorized as a "monster," but it made landfall in Florida that same night as a category 3.

Terrence asked people to follow this story with caution because there are many hoaxes on social media. He claims that Lieutenant Dan rode out the hurricane on his boat and just a few hours ago he did a live broadcast with him, from what is presumably the inside of the vessel.

The followers of this real character from Tampa have created an account to raise money and fulfill his dream of sailing in a powerful boat.

"We can pay for a boat for you, we're going to have a good boat, in the range of $50,000 to $100,000, and we're going to have a complete kick business, which is a live-streaming business where you can showcase your trips and all your adventures," said Terrence and his colleagues to Lieutenant Dan.

"I don’t know what to say. Thank you! I bless you all. That is my dream, that is my dream," said the media-savvy man of the sea from Tampa, after Milton's passage.