By: Daryn J. Stack
During the events of Hurricane Milton, a vast amount of the Tampa Bay population chose to either evacuate or find safer and dryer areas to stay. That was all true, but one man, Joseph Malinowski, more famously known by his nickname “Lieutenant Dan” decided to ride out the hurt on his 20-foot boat. Similar to the on-screen counterpart in the movie Forrest Gump (1994), Lieutenant Dan is missing a leg and is extremely stubborn.
When asked about staying on his boat, called ’Inside Edition,’ he gave the response “Because I live here, and it’s all I have.”
Like a lot of ‘Florida men,’ Lieutenant Dan has an extensive history with the law. A majority of his cases are related to assault and battery. In 2023 he was arrested for attempting to set a woman on fire. There are also reports that Malinowski’s boat may not even be his.
He also decided to turn on social media influencers Tampa Terrence and Aiden Ross. Aiden Ross offered Malinowski a streaming deal as well as a new boat after hearing his story, but later revoked the offer after learning of his legal history. Terrence on the other hand was the individual attempting to help raise funds and donate supplies to Lieutenant Dan while Lieutenant Dan believes Terrence is taking from his GoFundMe.
With these facts coming to light more recently, a lot of the GoFundMe donors are asking for their money back. Malinowski is continuing his fall from grace with his supporters as he has recently used the N-word in one of his Kick live streams.
