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.
When a simple note can save a life. More details/photos:
It’s a good idea to frequently check under and around your car in this part of the country to make sure that animals hasn’t established a home there. A kind-hearted woman decided to step in when she noticed a newborn deer sleeping under someone else’s car tire.
This image on Facebook went viral after a woman published it to alert the driver of the car of a newborn deer that was sleeping under a tire.
The answers were sincere and sometimes funny. Joshua The most well-liked comment to date is this one from Kevin Nye:
It’s obvious that the woman was ancient, but how? Why didn’t she just send you a message if you saw her, rather than alerting you to the presence of a blasted deer beneath the tire? I need some clarification!
A different comedian hoped the driver knew how to read and write. I guess you can’t always infer that from the way certain drivers operate their vehicles.
Among the more compassionate people who appreciated this woman’s action was Cyntha Atkinson:
I appreciate you leaving the note, sweet woman.
I’m grateful, Cyntha. One must respect the courage of people who decide to change things instead of continuing with their life as normal.
Would you have tried to entice the deer to come out from under the automobile, left a note, or carried on with your life?
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