Officials Tried to Help Florida Man ‘Lt. Dan’ Before Hurricane Milton, but He Refused to Leave His Boat

Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Tampa, Florida, officials there made an effort to help a man who went by the TikTok handle “Lieutenant Dan.” The man, whose true name is apparently Joseph Malinowski, defied their attempts to disembark from his 20-foot boat and chose instead to weather the storm.

Malinowski was filmed by Terrence Concannon, who uploaded the popular TikTok on October 8 and showed him justifying his choice. Malinowski, who was inspired by the Forrest Gump character, boldly declares his belief in God in the video, saying, “God told me to come out here and acquire a boat. I’m safe with him. We’re going to get through this. He brashly said, “Hell no,” when asked if he would be donning a life jacket, stating that his yacht was the safest place for him to be.

Around 43 million people had viewed the film as of October 9, garnering both local and national interest. Authorities in Tampa were worried about his safety, but Malinowski refused to leave despite multiple attempts to persuade him. The local police said that although they would have helped, they would eventually be unable to get to him due to the storm’s increasing conditions.

Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa first said that Malinowski had been rescued and taken to a shelter during a press conference. Brian Entin, a reporter for NewsNation, swiftly refuted this, posting a picture of Malinowski remaining on his boat as evidence that he had not departed. Later on, the mayor’s office stated that Malinowski had initially decided to depart but ended up staying.

Concannon, the person who first uploaded the popular video, launched a GoFundMe page in support of Malinowski, which raised almost $23,000. The money is meant to assist Malinowski—who has been called a “modern-day pirate”—in buying a new boat because his present one has “seen better days.”

With sustained winds of 120 mph, Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, was predicted to make landfall on Florida’s west-central coast as of October 9. Malinowski made the decision to stay on his boat despite several orders for the locals to leave, putting his faith and the security of his craft at risk.

Kate Middleton Shares a Photo on Princess Charlotte’s Birthday, People Spot the Same Thing

Catherine, Princess of Wales, is celebrating her daughter Charlotte’s 9th birthday! She shared a sweet photo she took and shared it with the fans. As people poured in birthday wishes for young Charlotte, many noticed the same thing about the photo.

A recent portrait of Princess Charlotte has been shared, captured by her mother, to celebrate her turning nine. The royal family expressed their gratitude for the warm wishes received, stating: “Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte! Thank you for all of the kind messages today.”

Catherine has often mentioned that Charlotte has a bold personality, even more so than her brother George, calling her “the one in charge”. The birthday photo was taken at Windsor recently.

While the princess looks radiant and beautiful in the portrait, many fans pointed out that as she’s growing up, she’s starting to look more and more like her father Prince William. “William said copy and paste, hahaha,” commented a person. “William with long hair”, added another.

Kate Middleton is currently battling cancer. She and Prince William released an update regarding her condition. Read it here.

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