Lieutenant Dan became an overnight sensation while surviving Hurricane Milton. Then his long criminal past came to light

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AAs Hurricane Milton devastated parts of Florida, killing at least ten people and forcing millions to evacuate, one man emerged as an unlikely cult hero.

Joseph Malinowski, 54, first went viral on TikTok after videos surfaced in which he claimed he would ride out the approaching Category 5 storm on his 20-foot sailboat. His accommodations as a sailor and his sole leg earned him the nickname “Lieutenant Dan” – a reference to the scrawny Vietnam War veteran in the Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump.

In the days leading up to the hurricane's landfall, Malinowski had all but eclipsed the iconic figure after several news networks, including CNN and NBC, sent reporters to interview him about his bold, if not unwise, decision.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he insisted to NBC.

The news reports generated a lot of interest in Malinowski's progress up front, with several accounts reposting updates and others offering well wishes and expressions of support.

“Who else is waiting for Lieutenant Dan’s update on Twitter? I hope he makes it,” Barstool Sports Cincinnati wrote on X. Another user added, “I check my phone every hour for an update from Lieutenant Dan.”

“I have never wanted anyone to defy the odds more than Lieutenant Dan,” one user wrote. “If Lieutenant Dan makes it…he will go down in history as one of Florida's badass residents. It will be biblical!” exclaimed another.

Thrilled by Malinowksi's fortitude, someone started a GoFundMe page to help the “modern-day pirate.” As of Thursday afternoon, more than $40,000 had been raised.

Even Adin Ross — an influencer known for his interviews with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and former President Donald Trump — got involved. During a livestream on Kick, Ross told Malinowski that he would pay $100,000 to buy him a new boat and keep him safe. In an interview with NBC News, Malinowski thanked his online well-wishers but took aim at authorities for not “leaving him alone.”

“I’m not afraid of the storm,” Malinowski told the outlet in an interview from his boat on Wednesday. “I fear nothing except the government, the police, the mayor – everyone is trying to make me leave in the worst possible way.”

He continued: “Without TikTok I would be out here alone… They don't do anything to help you, they just tell you to leave… that you need to evacuate. I have nowhere to go… And then you tell me you're going to put me in a shelter? I’m not going to an animal shelter.”

Law enforcement had actually used valuable resources to check on him. A now-viral TikTok captured a police officer approaching Malinowski, who was sitting on his boat, and urging him to leave before the storm.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announced during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that “Lieutenant Dan” had been rescued by police that morning and taken to an emergency shelter. In the afternoon Malinowski was back in his boat.

But this is far from the first time that Malinowski has encountered the police. Arrest records — in multiple states — show he has an extensive criminal history.

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As recently as August, he was charged with a misdemeanor for selling, operating or using a vessel without a title deed in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, potentially jeopardizing the boat on which he planned to ride out the storm. This case is still open.

Local Florida newspaper WUFT reported that Malinowski was released in April 2022 after serving a year in prison for punching a police officer in the nose.

According to the outlet, the manager of the Irish Brigade Bar in Lake Worth Beach on Florida's east coast had asked him to leave the bar because he was screaming and breaking glasses. When a responding sheriff's deputy tried to handcuff him, he punched the officer, who pushed him back, court records show. He later claimed to have urinated in the back seat of the officer's vehicle.

Malinowski unsuccessfully attempted to represent himself in court in the case and was convicted by a jury after a trial that lasted less than a day.

An affidavit viewed by The Independent Details of another alleged incident in February 2023. According to the document, a woman was sitting smoking on a bench on Florida's east coast when she and Malinowski, who was sitting on a nearby concrete bench, began arguing. Suddenly, he poured a 1-gallon container of gasoline onto the bench between the two and lit it on fire, the affidavit states.

The amputee grabbed his crutches, hobbled toward the woman, who was still holding her cigarette, and “sprayed” her with fuel, the affidavit said. The woman was uninjured but said she “feared for her life” given the close encounter.

A judge later ordered Malinowski to house arrest, writing in the margins of the order: “violent history.” However, several reports say the case was dropped a month later for unknown reasons.

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The revelations about his criminality shocked the public. Mug shots of the once-beloved sailor flooded the internet and changed public opinion.

“Lieutenant Dan’s 14 mugshots are crazy. Bro is a threat,” one user wrote, and another added, “Unfortunately I can't be a fan of Lieutenant Dan anymore.” “Stop supporting this man's stupidity because you are also supporting a woman abuser,” one wrote others.

Malinowski didn't seem surprised that his story was being dredged up, telling another TikToker, “I went to jail. I was in prison, but I have to tell you very clearly… I am innocent of all charges.”

Adin Ross, the influencer, also refused to withdraw his offer. “We’ll make sure he gets the boat,” Ross said. “Everyone has a fucking past.”

However, one thing Malinowski cannot be accused of is stolen bravery. When asked if he liked the nickname “Lieutenant Dan,” he replied. “I do that because it blew me up (online) for who I am, but I’m not Dan – I’m not Lieutenant Dan.

“I was never in the military and never claimed to be. And I don’t want people to associate my military service with me.”