Joseph Malinowsky, the Florida man known as “Lt. Dan,” has been arrested in Tampa. He gained social media fame with TikTok posts as he rode out two recent hurricanes aboard his small sailboat.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrest records show Malinowsky, 54, was arrested Friday for trespassing and failure to appear in court on previous charges of operating an unregistered vehicle and having no valid driver’s license.
Malinowsky became social media famous in the days before Hurricane Milton after rejecting officials’ pleas to seek shelter. He instead remained in his boat while the Category 3 storm’s powerful winds battered Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Malinowski was unfazed, describing the experience as “pretty mellow,” even though his boat was repeatedly slammed against a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.
“I’m not scared of anything,” Malinowski told CBS News’ Cristian Benavides after the storm.
As the storm intensified, Malinowski recounted how the wind picked up, causing his boat to crash against a wall in the harbor. To prevent further damage, he cut his anchor line, sacrificing a $250 anchor now resting on the bay floor.
“I was getting bashed against this wall, so I went out and cut my anchor line to get away from it,” he said.
Despite the danger, Malinowski remained calm, crediting his composure to his faith.
“God told me to come here,” he said, explaining that five years ago, he left Colorado and moved to Florida.
“I’ve been in Florida for five years, stuck on the East Coast,” Malinowski said. “… I found this boat for 1,200 bucks. I bought it. I come to Tampa, and guess what? Can’t flood, not today, not yesterday.”
Malinowsky, whose nickname comes from a character in the movie “Forrest Gump” who rides out a hurricane in a boat, remained jailed Saturday, according to online jail records. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
On Friday, the actor who played Lt. Dan in the 1994 film served lunch to deputies in Pinellas County, which is a neighbor to Hillsborough County in Tampa Bay.
“We were honored to have Gary Sinise himself, the actor who portrayed the iconic Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, in attendance and even serving our members showing his unwavering support for our law enforcement community. Your generosity and kindness means the world to us!” read a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
contributed to this report.
