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.
A Hidden Room, A Dark Secret: What We Uncovered Forced Us to Leave Our Home
We had no idea that our recently acquired dream home would completely upend our life until we discovered a hidden area. We had to move out as a result of what we discovered inside, but we had no idea that this nightmare would bring about an unforeseen turn of events.
I never imagined that I would wake up in a horror movie, yet that is exactly where I am. For years, Jack and I had been saving money to purchase our first house. I was ecstatic when we eventually received the keys. We immediately got to work on the improvements, with me leading the way while Jack concentrated on his task.
“Liv, you sure you’re okay managing all this?” The night before the renovations started, Jack inquired. Encircled by boxes, we reclined on our air mattress that we had borrowed.
I rolled my eyes. “I can handle this. Mr. Big Shot, you put your work first.”
Jack laughed and drew me in. “All right, all right. Just don’t enjoy yourself excessively without me.”
Everything was normal on Tuesday morning, until it changed. As I was enjoying my coffee and browsing through my phone, Carlos, the leader of our renovation team, contacted me.
He exclaimed, “Olivia, you gotta see this.”
Curious about what they’d discovered, I strolled over. Carlos gestured to a piece of the wall they had recently demolished. There was a door there, concealed by years of paint and drywall.
I said, “What do you think it is?”
Carlos gave a shrug. “I have no idea. Would you like to open it?”
I reached for the doorknob and nodded. I opened the creaking door and looked inside. My enthusiasm soon gave way to fear. Shuddering, I slammed the door shut.
“What’s wrong?” Carlos enquired, his expression filled with worry.
I was unable to talk. Reaching for my phone, I punched in Jack’s number. He detected the third ring.
“Hi Liv. What’s going on?”
“Jack, you must return home. Right now.”
“What? Why? Is everything in order?
Taking a deep breath, I tried to control my voice. Something was discovered inside the home. You must view it.
Jack didn’t dispute, so he must have heard the panic in my voice. “I’m on my way.”
I paced back and forth in front of the secret entrance while I waited for Jack. Although Carlos and his team continued to work, I could sense their wondering looks.
“You okay, Olivia?” Carlos paused his efforts to ask.
I nodded, not believing I could talk. My mind was buzzing with ideas. And what if it was a haunted house? What if we had discovered a sinister secret?
Jack was panting heavily when he got there. “Olivia, what’s going on?”
Taking his hand, I guided him towards the entrance. I remarked, “Look,” and carefully opened it.
Jack gasped in shock at what he saw. There were ancient garments in the concealed area that had originally been a closet. The worst part, though, wasn’t that. Insects crawled all over, and mold covered the garments. There was an overpowering smell, and spiders had taken up residence in the corners.
Jack mumbled, “Holy —,” and slammed the door. “How long has that been there?”
I gave a headshake. “I’m not sure. It was never brought up by the realtor.”
For a few while, we stood there in quiet, taking in what we had just witnessed. At last, Jack said something.
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