‘Lieutenant Dan’s’ sickening crimes revealed

A one-legged sailor drew sympathy after facing off against a hurricane in his rickety sailboat. But a dark twist changes everything.

An infamous one-legged sailor who insisted on facing the wrath of Hurricane Milton in his rickety boat has been exposed as a criminal who was once jailed for bashing a cop.

Joseph Malinowski, nicknamed ‘Lieutenant Dan’, became a viral sensation after a Tampa Bay local spotted him waiting the violent storm out in his humble sailboat.

He survived the hurricane unscathed – despite repeated attempts by police to relocate him to a nearby shelter – and drew the sympathy of many across America.

A fundraiser to help the battler surpassed $40,000 overnight while streamer Adin Ross offered him $100,000 for a new boat and a lucrative deal on his platform Kick.

But that offer was abruptly pulled when Lieutenant Dan’s dark criminal history – with dozens of arrests dating back to at least 2006 - was uncovered.

Many of the charges are traffic offenses or arrests for failure to appear in court, but he’s also been busted for everything from drug possession to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Joseph Malinowski, nicknamed ‘Lieutenant Dan’, survived Hurricane Milton inside his rickety sailboat. Picture: Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

Jailed for bashing a cop inside a pub

Court records seen by news.com.au show that Malinowski, 54, was jailed in 2021 after punching a police officer in the face.

Police were called to an Irish pub in Lake Worth Beach, on Florida’s east coast, amid reports Malinowski was causing a scene and refusing to leave the venue.

When police arrived he was sitting at the bar with broken glass all around him “yelling and screaming”, according to an arrest report.

As a responding sheriff’s deputy tried to handcuff him and escort him out of the pub, Malinowski punched the officer in the face and ribs.

He pleaded not guilty and represented himself in court, but it took a jury less than a day to convict him of battery against a law enforcement officer and he was jailed for a year.

Malinowski has a hefty rap sheet - including a year-long jail sentence for bashing a cop inside an Irish pub. Picture: X

Police tried in vain to get Lieutenant Dan to leave his boat behind and seek shelter. He refused, and survived unscathed. Picture: Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

Accused of ‘splashing a woman with gasoline’

A more recent and disturbing incident came last February, when a woman reported she had gotten in argument with Malinowski at Lake Worth Beach, an hour outside of Miami.

During the argument, Malinowski allegedly approached the woman and poured gasoline on the bench directly next to where she was sitting and set it alight.

The argument continued to escalate, and the woman - who was smoking a cigarette at the time - said Malinowski then splashed her with gas in an attempt to light her on fire.

She called 911, fearing for her life, and grabbed Malinowski’s crutches to prevent him from using them as weapons or escaping before help could arrive, records allege.

Malinowski uses crutches to help him get around after his left leg was amputated above the knee following a scooter accident nearly 40 years ago.

He was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon but the case was dropped a month later for reasons that were not explained and could not be immediately determined.

Malinowski: “I went to prison, I did jail time, but point blank God to my soul… I’m innocent of all the charges”. Picture: X

From rags to riches to rags again

Internet personality Adin Ross made a generous offer to Malinowski after his tale of survival went viral on social media.

In a live-stream with the sailor on Wednesday night, Ross made a life-changing offer to him.

“I’m going to be able to pay for a boat for you. We’re going to get you a nice boat in the range of $50,000 to $100,000,” Ross told him.

“And we’re going to get you a full-time Kick deal, which is a livestream deal where you can stream your entire voyages and all your adventures and you can have a passive income come in.

“You can livestream and connect with fans all over the world, and they can really see your adventure, man.”

An ecstatic Malinowski thanked Ross for his generosity.

“You’re giving me my life back. I’m 54 years old, and I’ve never gotten to live yet,” he said.

“I was satisfied with my social security disability check every month. That kept me [able to get] food and other things I might have needed. I was content with that, but I was never happy with it. I was content to be able to survive like that, but you’re giving me the opportunity to live.”

In a swift reversal of fortune, that deal was reportedly taken off the table within hours when his criminal history started circulating online.

Popular streamer Adin Ross (top) offered Malinowski $100,000 to buy a new boat. He reportedly pulled the plug on that offer when the sailor’s criminal history was uncovered. Picture: X

A dejected Malinowski lashed out at Ross on Thursday afternoon, questioning why the streamer made the offer only to take it away the next day.

“I went to prison, I did jail time, but point blank God to my soul… I’m innocent of all the charges,” Malinowski insisted to reporters gathered outside his docked boat.

Referencing his 2021 felony, he claimed he “never even saw the cop” he was found guilty of bashing.

“I never even saw the cop – he beat the hell out of me from behind. And then I went to prison for a year and a day on a battery charge,” he said.

“He (Adin Ross) starts (talking) about my (criminal) history … well you should have did that before you made that offer,” he bemoaned.

“If you were worried about your image … you should have done your due diligence and looked me up before you made me an offer of a $100,000 sign up bonus and a $100,000 boat.

“He came to me, I never went to him, he offered it to me and I never asked for it.”

‘Monster’ Hurricane Milton: In pictures

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He also stressed that he wasn’t a veteran and had “never been in the military”.

His nickname Lieutenant Dan is a reference to the double-amputee sailor played by Gary Sinise in “Forrest Gump”.

As for what’s next?

Lieutenant Dan had an optimistic message for his new legion of followers: “This is only the beginning.”

“Dan is still alive, guys. Dan is alive. He’s buzzing,” said the TikTokker, who launched a GoFundMe for the internet star. “The Tampa mayor said he evacuated, he did not evacuate. He’s still on the boat.”

Earlier in the day, Malinowski shrugged off those pleading with him to evacuate.

“The safest place to be in a flood is on a boat. We learned that with Noah. Everyone that stayed on land drowned,” Malinowski told reporters.

“If the tide goes up, I go up. As long as the water stays out of the boat, I’ll be fine.”

Originally published as ‘Lieutenant Dan’s’ sickening crimes revealed