Tampa's Lt. Dan says he will endure Hurricane Milton on the boat

TAMPA, Fla. – University of Tampa graduate Terrence Concannon was walking his usual route from school in mid-September when he encountered something unusual: a man in a sailboat caught by the wind and dragged out to sea.

“Not a single person wanted to help me,” Concannon recalled the man explaining after the rescue. “They all think I’m crazy or something.”

But Concannon told NBC News that he helped by pulling a rope and pulling 54-year-old Tampa, Florida resident Joseph Malinowski safely back to the dock – where he had vowed to stay come rain or shine.

The encounter was the start of a viral saga and national news story in which Concannon documented Malinowski's determination to stay on his boat during Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton for millions of TikTok viewers.

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward Tampa, where it is expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, social media followers and local officials have expressed concern for Malinowski, who has refused to leave his sailboat since Wednesday afternoon to get to safety.

Meteorologists have warned of a potentially life-threatening storm surge of 15 feet, and local officials have warned people in evacuation zones to leave the area or face the reality of potentially being killed by the hurricane.

Malinowski, now known as “Lieutenant Dan” on TikTok, recently moved to Florida and lives on his 20-foot sailboat in Tampa Bay Harbor. He said he has been homeless for 10 years – living on the streets, on his scooter and now on his sailboat.

Malinowski said his leg was amputated at age 16 after he was hit by a car. After their encounter, Concannon compared Malinowski to Forrest Gump's Lieutenant Dan, a veteran amputee whose shrimp boat was the only ship to miraculously survive “Hurricane Carmen.”

Malinowski accepted the nickname, telling NBC News that he thought of him as “the character (he plays) on TikTok.”

Concannon first posted a TikTok video with Malinowski on Sept. 25 with the caption, “Lieutenant Dan vs. Hurricane Helene.” It has been viewed 1.2 million times. As viewers flocked to his account, they became more engaged and fascinated by Malinowski's story.