A Florida sailor who went viral after deciding to brave Hurricane Milton on his boat was arrested after refusing to move his vessel over alleged health risks.
Joseph Malinowski, better known as Lieutenant Dan on TikTok, was arrested by Tampa Police Department officers on Friday morning.
The 54-year-old man had two outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and one count of trespassing in a city park after a warning, police said.
Officers met with Malinowski on Thursday and told him he did not have an adequate waste disposal record on his boat or an accessible marine sanitation device.
He was ordered to remove his boat from Bayshore Linear Park after officials said his boat posed a public health hazard, but the boat remained at the scene Friday morning.
The 54-year-old man had two outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and one count of trespassing in a city park after a warning, police said.
The one-legged sailor compared himself to Noah with his ark after revealing he would not abide by any evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton.
After authorities returned Friday, he was arrested and taken to prison. His occupation was listed as ‘Tik Tok Star’ on the arrest notice.
The lame sailor compared himself to Noah with his ark after revealing he would not abide by any evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Speaking from his 20ft boat as strong winds began to approach, he said: “The safest place to be is on a boat during a flood.” We learned that with Noah.
‘All those who remained on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived. I’m not worried. My life, this is nothing compared to what I’ve been through. This doesn’t scare me.
“This isn’t even a minor inconvenience because the only thing that’s going to happen is that everyone is going to get wet, but I’m going to be fine because I’m on a boat that floats.”
Malinowski lost a leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old. He said he had taken his eyes off the road “for a second” when he crashed into another car going about 45 mph.
‘I was hoping to get home in time for dinner. I got to the hospital and within minutes my whole family started showing up.’
His leg was amputated below the knee, earning him the nickname he still has to this day.
After authorities returned Friday, he was arrested and taken to prison. His occupation was listed as ‘Tik Tok Star’ on the arrest notice.
Malinowski lost a leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old. He said he had taken his eyes off the road “for a second” when he crashed into another car.
In Forrest Gump, the character Lieutenant Dan lost both legs below the knee during the Vietnam War and decided to ride out a storm while on his fishing boat with the main character.
Real-life Lieutenant Dan later spoke about his wild night at sea after waiting for Milton aboard his small boat.
The TikTok star told her followers: “They say the storm is still about an hour and a half away, and if that’s the case and I’m feeling twice as bad as I am now, that’s not a problem, that’s not a problem now.” “. .’
He said his boat was “safe, so I can only go so far” in 120 mph winds, and said his boat had not yet suffered any structural damage.
“I’m not drinking water, I haven’t even spilled my coffee yet,” Malinowski shared with her more than 242,900 followers.
‘I’m fine, I have everything I need, I have a lot of water, I have a lot of food. I could stay here for two weeks.
In a follow-up video posted in the middle of the storm, Malinowski was seen talking to an internet streamer about what he was experiencing.
He said his boat had gotten stuck between the dock and some water and said, “I wouldn’t even try to get off the boat right now.”
In Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan lost both legs below the knee during the Vietnam War.
After the storm passed, thousands began donating to a GoFundMe page set up to help fund a new boat.
Donations peaked at $44,000 after University of Tampa student Terrence Concannon began fundraising.
Streamer Adin Ross also agreed to buy Malinowski a new boat and offered him a potentially lucrative opportunity to livestream his daily life online.
As his online stock has risen, his convictions for assault and misdemeanors have come to light, along with a litany of mugshots over the years.
Malowski has had more than 70 contacts with police in Florida and North Carolina since 2012, according to public records viewed by DailyMail.com.
His criminal history includes accusations of drug possession, assault, resisting police, robbery, assault, among others.
As his online stock has risen, his convictions for assault and misdemeanors have come to light, along with a litany of mugshots over the years.
Most recently, the sailor served six months in prison for punching a police officer in the nose. He was released in 2022.
Less than a year after his release, Malowski was accused of setting fire to a park bench and pouring gasoline on a woman who he claimed feared for her life. The case was dropped for unknown reasons.
Last year, Malowski also had a run-in with police for sinking another sailboat off Florida’s east coast, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Malowski is due to appear in criminal court later this year over a dispute over the ownership of his boat.
“I went to prison, I spent time in jail, but I can tell you: I am innocent of all charges!” Said the sailor about his criminal past.
“They accused me of assault and I didn’t even see the police officer. I was in prison for a year. But karma and God are real.’
