close
close

Florida Lieutenant Dan and Joseph Malinowski's daughter take action against influencers after Hurricane Milton

Florida Lieutenant Dan and Joseph Malinowski's daughter take action against influencers after Hurricane Milton

The troubled daughter of viral one-legged hurricane denier “Lieutenant Dan” railed against the influencers and donors who gave money to her father, claiming they were enabling his drug use and sending him to an “early grave.”

Ashley Ann Malinowski called for a halt to all funds for her father, Joseph Malinowski, who gained national attention for refusing to abandon his boat in Tampa before Hurricane Milton.

The sailor, who is missing the lower part of his leg from the shin down, was nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” because he resembled Gary Sinise's character in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump.”

“Without all the money, Lieutenant Dan was doing just fine,” Ann Malinowski said in a profanity-laden tirade on TikTok on Friday.

“Y’all are fucking famous people on TikTok, y’all blow him up and he’ll be dead before he can enjoy this boat. Look at him after you caught him and now he’s awesome in all these videos.”

Joseph Malinowski, known as “Lieutenant Dan,” speaks with Tampa police officers who tried to get him to a shelter before Hurricane Milton struck Florida on October 9, 2024. Getty Images

“Lieutenant Dan” appeared on the Weather Channel, CNN and in a livestream with TikToker “Tampa” Terrence Concannon before the hurricane hit Florida on Wednesday.

The defiant sailor held on to his sailboat and urged Hurricane Helene to “come and get me” during his interview on Concannon's TikTok on September 25, which has been viewed over 2.1 million times.

Riding on the fame, Concannon, 23, continued to share updates about his new beau throughout the storm, with each post easily racking up millions of views.

Ann Malinowski called for a stop to all funds going to her father Joseph Malinowski in an emotional TikTok video. Ann Malinowski/TikTok

Concannon later set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Malinowski to purchase a larger vessel, which raised over $46,000, calling him “the kindest soul” who is “always willing to lend a hand.”

Malinowski weathered Hurricane Milton from his boat where he lives, defying Tampa Mayor Jane Castor's claims that he went to a shelter.

He was discovered in his boat, which was moored at a dock in Tampa Bay.

Twitch streamer Adin Rossn later offered Malinowski a deal with streaming platform Kick and the purchase of a new boat between $50,000 and $100,000.

The concerned daughter said she has struggled with her father's safety over drugs over the past decade.

“Is it just grass?” Is it just grass? Yes, I'm his daughter and I had to keep an eye on this man for ten years to make sure he was alive and now he's going to get all this and probably end up dead because of it.”

Malinowski said she tries not to put too “much energy” into caring for her father, other than making sure “he's alive.”

“You’re going to put him to a damn early grave because you made him famous and gave him this money,” she said, fighting back tears.

Joseph Malinowski refused to be persuaded by the police and remained on his boat during the storm. Getty Images

Malinowski claimed the influencers were using her father to boost their social media channels and “didn't know what they were doing” to help the elder Malinowski.

“No one really cares about him either. You're just using him to make him famous, to make yourself more famous, to look good, but no one cares.

“Lieutenant Dan's” troubled past resurfaced after he became famous online for ignoring warnings from officials and jumping out of his boat after the storm.

Lieutenant Dan leaves his boat after surviving Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024. @BrianEntin/X

He has made dozens of arrests in North Carolina and Florida dating back to at least 2006, court records seen by The Post showed.

Many of the charges involve traffic violations or arrests for failing to appear in court, but he has also been arrested for drug possession, attempted burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *