Lt. Dan’s daughter slammed his new fans who have brought attention to her father, saying his viral fame will lead him to an early grave.
Joseph Malinowski, better known as Lieutenant Dan, is a one-legged sailor from Florida who went viral for refusing to abandon his sailboat in the face of Hurricane Milton.
Malinowski got his first taste of fame when University of Tampa student Terrence Concannon began recording viral TikTok videos of him as the storm approached.
Concannon hosted an online fundraiser for the one-legged sailor, which received more than $46,000 in donations.
Joseph Malinowski was seen on Thursday after surviving the storm on his boat
Joseph Malinowski, better known online as Lt. Dan, provided an update on his situation while sheltering inside his boat during Hurricane Milton.
Ashley Ann tearfully said her father might ‘end up dead’ because of all the attention and money his fans send him.
Streamer Adin Ross also announced that he would buy Malinowski a new boat, an offer he apparently waived once the sailor’s long criminal history came to light.
On Friday, Ashley Ann Malinowski uploaded a TikTok condemning the influencers who turned her father into an internet celebrity.
Posting on her account, Ashley Ann said through tears that her father would “probably end up dead” because of all the attention.
“Lieutenant Dan was fine without all that money,” the daughter began.
“All you TikTok… famous people blowing it up… you’ll be dead before you can enjoy that ship.”
‘Lieutenant Dan’ has had more than 70 contacts with police in Florida and North Carolina since 2012, according to public records seen by DailyMail.com
Ashley Ann then said that her father was “high” in all of the videos, which made her wonder “is it just marijuana?”
He explained that he has had to “keep an eye on (his father) for ten years, trying to make sure he’s alive.”
“Now he’s going to have all this and probably end up dead because of it,” he said.
He said he was trying not to put too much “energy” into the situation, clarifying that he just wanted to make sure his father was alive.
But then, when he took aim at his father’s alleged enablers, he began to cry.
‘You’re all going to put him in the grave for making him famous and giving him this money and offering him this shit.
Thousands of people have donated to the online fundraiser organized by student Terrence Concannon, which now stands at $40,000.
‘You guys don’t even know what the fuck you’re doing. You don’t know that man. You don’t know him at all.
With tears in her eyes, Ashley Ann accused the influencers of not really caring about her father’s well-being.
‘No one really cares about him either. Nobody really cares. You’re all just using him to make him famous, to make yourself more famous, to look good.’
In the comments, many viewers expressed their deepest condolences for Ashley Ann.
Malinowski lost his leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old.
“As the daughter of an addict I feel this and I am so sorry,” one user wrote.
“The pain in your voice breaks my heart,” another viewer commented.
Other commenters agreed that while some influencers had selfish motives, Concannon had pure intentions when he started.
‘The first guy, Terrance, was really determined to help him. Then other people got involved and took it too far.’
This week, ‘Lieutenant Dan’ launched his own TikTok account, where he chronicled his survival on his sailboat during Milton. It currently has more than 270,000 followers.
He was seen sticking his head out of the boat around 11 p.m. while insisting to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin that he was “fine.”
Although Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, it was later downgraded to a Category 1.
But strong winds were still able to destroy the fabric roof of the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Milton also spawned at least 19 tornadoes, which caused damage in numerous counties and destroyed about 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.
As of Friday, more than 3 million homes and businesses were without power. At least 18 people have died in the aftermath of Milton.
