Officials Tried to Help Florida Man ‘Lt. Dan’ Before Hurricane Milton, but He Refused to Leave His Boat

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.

Elon Musk Just Had His 12th Baby, and People Noticed One Detail

Elon Musk, the 52-year-old Tesla founder and tech mogul, quietly welcomed a new member to his ever-growing family earlier this year. The baby’s mother is Shivon Zilis, the director of special projects at Neuralink Corp., another of Musk’s ventures.

A private family life

Musk and his partners have consistently aimed to shield their children’s lives from the public eye. This commitment to privacy was underscored in September 2023, when Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes and the mother of three of Musk’s children, took to X (formerly Twitter) to request privacy for their children. In a lengthy post, she addressed the media frenzy surrounding her co-parenting relationship with Musk and the recent revelation of their third child, a son named Techno Mechanicus, born shortly after Musk’s children with Zilis.

Musk’s expanding family

Elon Musk’s journey into fatherhood began in 2002 with the birth of his first son, Nevada Alexander, with his first wife, Justine Wilson. Tragically, Nevada passed away at 10 weeks old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Wilson and Musk later had twins, Vivian Jenna, and Griffin, in 2004, followed by triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006, all conceived through IVF.

In May 2020, Musk and Grimes welcomed their first child together, a son named X Æ A-Xii. The couple later had a daughter via surrogate in December 2021, named Exa Dark Sideræl. Around the same time, Musk secretly welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Shivon Zilis in November 2021.

The revelation of Musk’s newest child coincides with the release of Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography about Musk, which disclosed the birth of Musk and Grimes’ third child, a son named Techno Mechanicus, who also goes by “Tau.”

Musk confirmed the birth of his latest child with Shivon Zilis, dismissing any notions of secrecy. “As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false,” he stated. “All our friends and family know. Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret,’” he added. Despite this clarification, the sex and name of Musk’s youngest child remain undisclosed, highlighting the couple’s commitment to privacy.

The online buzz

The news of Elon Musk’s 12th child came as a surprise to those who follow his life online. Comparisons to Nick Cannon, known for his large family, quickly surfaced. “Nick Cannon and Elon single-handedly repopulating the earth,” joked one Instagram user. “Elon and Nick Cannon competing?” and “Nick, you got 24 hours to respond!” were other common comments.

Elon Musk’s personal life has often been a topic of intense public interest and scrutiny, given his high-profile relationships and significant professional achievements. His growing brood of children and the dynamics between his partners illustrate the complexities of his personal life, often played out under the public’s watchful eye.

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