Malinowski chose to stay on the boat, despite repeated attempts by officials to evacuate him to safety. Social media followers offered Malinowski shelter — both in nearby hotels and at their own homes — but he refused.
Malinowski quickly became known nationwide after TikToker Terrence Concannon posted a series of videos about his experiences riding out Hurricane Helene.
As Hurricane Milton approached Tampa, Malinowski took to his social media accounts to ease public concerns, even as his boat rocked violently in the increasing winds and rain. At around 8 a.m. on October 10, Malinowski responded to a text message from NBC News asking if he was okay after the storm.
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| Joseph Malinowski stayed on his boat during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Photo: USA Today. |
“Yeah,” he texted, insisting he was fine.
Despite the storm sweeping through parts of the US state of Florida — with at least 12 confirmed deaths so far — Malinowski remained calm in conversations with NBC and his social media followers.
“I’m fine!” he said at around 7 p.m. on October 9, about two hours before the storm made landfall.
With heavy rain, rising water and life-threatening winds forecast, officials have urged residents in the danger zone to evacuate. “If he decides to stay on the boat during the storm, our office has strongly, strongly advised against it,” a Tampa Police Department representative said on the afternoon of October 9.
Malinowski, who moored his boat to the dock at the Port of Tampa Bay, explained that the wind was blowing from a different direction than he had anticipated, but everything was fine.
“So far everything is fine, the bow has come off the dock a few times. Right now the wind is pretty strong. I’m not worried. It’s not scary, it’s not harmful, it’s just strange,” he said at around 8:30 p.m. on October 9.
Throughout the night, “Lieutenant Dan” posted more updates to TikTok, telling his followers that he was fine and asserting that he would be safe even as the storm continued.
“I haven’t even spilled my coffee yet. It’s going to be fine,” he added.
Malinowski, nicknamed after the character Forrest Gump who survived a massive storm on a fishing boat, updated his TikTok followers around 3 a.m. on October 10: “I’m still alive.”
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