Florida-based viral “Lt. Dan,” who rode out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat, was arrested in Tampa

Joseph Malinowsky, the Florida man known as “Lt. Dan,” was arrested in Tampa. He won He gained fame on social media through TikTok posts while surviving two hurricanes aboard his small sailboat.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrest records show Malinowsky, 54, was arrested Friday on charges of criminal trespassing and failure to appear in court because he was previously charged with driving an unregistered vehicle and not having a valid driver's license.

Malinowsky rose to fame on social media in the days leading up to Hurricane Milton after refusing officials' requests to seek shelter. Instead, he remained in his boat as the strong winds of the Category 3 storm swept across Florida's Gulf Coast.

Malinowski was unfazed, describing the experience as “pretty relaxing,” despite his boat being repeatedly smashed into a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.

“I'm not afraid of anything,” Malinowski told CBS News' Cristian Benavides after the storm.

As the storm grew stronger, Malinowski recounted how the wind increased and his boat crashed into a harbor wall. To prevent further damage, he cut his anchor line and sacrificed a $250 anchor that now rests on the bottom of the bay.

“I was thrown against this wall, so I went out and cut my anchor line to get away,” he said.

Despite the danger, Malinowski remained calm and credited his faith for his composure.

“God told me to come here,” he said, explaining that he left Colorado and moved to Florida five years ago.

“I’ve lived in Florida for five years and am stuck on the East Coast,” Malinowski said. “…I found this boat for $1,200. I bought it. I come to Tampa and guess what? Can’t be flooded, 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 in jail 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 played lunch in the 1994 film, serving deputies in Pinellas County, a neighboring county to Hillsborough County in Tampa Bay.

“We were honored to have Gary Sinise himself, the actor who portrayed the legendary Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, join us and even express to our members his unwavering support for our law enforcement community. Your generosity and kindness means a lot to us!” Read a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.

contributed to this report.