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

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

But Concannon told NBC News he did help by towing a rope and pulling 54-year-old Tampa, Florida, resident Joseph Malinowski safely back to the dock — where he vowed to stay, rain or shine.

The meeting was the start of what would become a viral saga and national news story, with Concannon documenting for millions of TikTok viewers Malinowski’s determination to stay on his boat through Hurricane Helene, and now Hurricane Milton.

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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 about Malinowski, who has refused to abandon his sailboat and reach safety as of Wednesday afternoon .

Forecasters have warned of a potential life-threatening storm surge of 15 feet (4.5 meters) high, and local officials have warned people in evacuation areas to leave or face the reality that they could be killed by the hurricane.

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

Malinowski said he had his leg amputated at age 16 after being hit by a car. After their meeting, Concannon compared Malinowski to Forrest Gump’s lieutenant Dan, a veteran amputee whose shrimp boat was the only ship to miraculously emerge from “Hurricane Carmen.”

Malinowski accepted the nickname, telling NBC News that he considers it the “character (he plays) on TikTok.”

Concannon first posted a TikTok video with Malinowski on September 25 with the caption “Lieutenant Dan versus Hurricane Helene.” The video has been viewed 1.2 million times. As viewers flocked to his report, they became increasingly concerned about – and fascinated by – Malinowski’s story.