Who is ‘Lieutenant Dan’? The man who captured attention of millions on TikTok during Hurricane Milton – KPRC Click2Houston
WEATHER ALERT
Brittany Taylor, Senior Digital Content Producer
Published:
Updated:
Brittany Taylor, Senior Digital Content Producer
As millions of eyes were focused on Florida as residents braced for Hurricane Milton — one Tampa man and his small sailboat captured the hearts and attention of many on social media.
He goes by the name “Lieutenant Dan” on TikTok.
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A viral saga of Dan’s life began after he vowed to stay on his sailboat, rain, shine or hurricane — he was not moving. Despite the many warnings from meteorologists, law enforcement and even the mayor of Tampa, Dan refused to budge and evacuate.
A University of Tampa senior, Terrence Concannon, met Dan, whose real name is Joseph Malinowski, during Hurricane Helene and has since been documenting his journey as many gained interest into his “bravery and faith” or some would say “recklessness.”
According to an interview with NBC News, Concannon met Dan mid-September when he saw the man in a sailboat that was caught in the wind and being dragged out to sea.
Concannon told NBC News that he helped Dan by dragging a rope and pulling the 54-year-old Tampa man safely back to the dock. Since then, millions on TikTok have become invested in his story as Hurricane Milton barreled toward Tampa.
“Every single video I posted, I was getting thousands of comments being like, ‘Where’s Dan? Check on Dan,’” Concannon told NBC News in an interview.
Every day, millions worried that Dan and his 20-foot sailboat wouldn’t survive Milton’s wrath and damaging winds. No one, not even Concannon could convince Dan to leave his sailboat and evacuate to safety.
“I’m not going to go anywhere,” he told NBC. “I’m in a safe position right now … I’m not at risk of sinking. I’m not at risk of getting hurt. It’s cosmetic damage. I can accept that.”
Concannon posted on his TikTok a video of popular streamer Adin Ross making an announcement to Dan that he is gifting him $100,000 to buy a new boat and equipment to stream so all those who want to follow his journey can.
Dan is live with Adin Ross
As of Thursday morning, an account, with more than 70,000 followers, claiming to be Dan’s TikTok, has updated that he indeed survived Hurricane Milton.
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Award-winning journalist, mother, YouTuber, social media guru, millennial, mentor, storyteller, University of Houston alumna and Houston-native.
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