A newly released photo shows the viral star who shot to fame earlier this month after refusing to get off his yacht as Hurricane Milton headed for a destructive and deadly path towards Tampa, Florida. It details one of the more gruesome cases in which “Lieutenant Dan” was involved.
One-legged sailor Joseph Malinowski, aka “Lieutenant Dan,” took the internet by storm with his rebellion against Milton. But just days after his rise to fame, his extensive rap sheet surfaced, revealing more than a dozen arrests.
One of the most shocking arrests was for allegedly trying to set a woman on fire just south of West Palm Beach, Florida.
According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office crime report obtained exclusively by the newspaper, on February 23, 2023, Malinowski was smoking a cigarette with his brother and friends about 20 feet away.・He had gotten into an argument with a woman named Perry.
The report said Malinowski approached the burning bench while smoking a cigarette and poured gasoline on the concrete bench between them. Malinowski then “walked with crutches, picked up a red gas canister, and doused Perry with gasoline.”
“She had a lit cigarette in her hand and was close to an open flame that could have ignited the gasoline, putting her life in danger,” Deputy Sheriff Ryan Herzog said.
Photos show a damaged white bench with black burn marks from the fire and dark spots on the brick pavement.
Another photo shows a gallon of gasoline with unusual foil food wrapped around the spout, sitting on a cement bench next to a black backpack and a tree.
Authorities suspect he used a gallon of gasoline to set the bench on fire and threw it at Perry.
Perry then called 911 after an anonymous person moved Malinowski's crutches to prevent him from “using them as a weapon and fleeing.”
Deputy Sheriff Herzong, who responded, said Perry's clothes were wet and he could smell gasoline.
Mr. Malinowski told Mr. Herzon that Mr. Perry “threw several cans at him,” but the deputy did not find any cans in the area.
The report added that Malinowski admitted to setting fire to the bench to “burn off the residue” but denied setting Perry on fire.
Deputy sheriffs concluded in their report that Malinowski “intentionally threw gasoline” at Perry.
“Lieutenant Dan” was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was not charged with setting the bench on fire because there was no permanent damage.
Malinowski was nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” by TikTok user Terrence Concannon because of his resemblance to the one-legged Forrest Gump character. Concannon also set up a GoFundMe for Malinowski, but has yet to receive the full amount of the $46,000 raised.
Sailor briefly signed a deal with streaming platform Kick, but founder Adin Roth pulled after Malinowski spewed a racial slur during his first livestream. A few days later, it was announced that Ross had signed with Concannon instead.
Malinowski was subsequently banned from live streaming on TikTok for seven days after going on a homophobic rant early Tuesday morning.
