The dark past of ‘Lieutenant Dan’ has emerged as thousands donate to the Hurricane Milton GoFundMe page set up for him by a kind-hearted University of Tampa student.
The one-legged sailor who refused to leave his boat won hearts after 23-year-old student Terrence Concannon shared TikTok videos of his Hurricane Helene survival.
Thousands have donated to the online fundraiser set up by Concannon, which now stands at over $40,000. Streamer Adin Ross agreed to buy ‘Dan’ – whose real name is Joseph Malinowski – a new boat, and offered a potentially lucrative chance to livestream his day-to-day life on a platform called Live Kick.
As his internet fame soared, Malinowski’s convictions for assault and petty crime surfaced, along with his multiple mugshots throughout the years.
Concannon tells DailyMail.com he was unaware of Malinowski’s past when he offered to help. He doesn’t regret it either, despite what the internet says.
‘Lieutenant Dan’ has had over 70 contacts with police in Florida and North Carolina since 2012, according to public records seen by DailyMail.com
‘He never mentioned anything about it. I had no idea about [the past] and I am not one to judge. All I saw was a guy needing help and I was willing to give it.’
Read More
Lieutenant Dan's wild night at sea as he emerges from hurricane-battered boat
Concannon first met Malowski four weeks ago while walking home from campus.
‘I would walk by him often and then one day, the motor on his boat went out and he was getting sucked under a bridge so he yelled out.
‘He threw me the rope and I pulled him in.’
Concannon grew concerned for him while Hurricane Helene was brewing off the Gulf Coast in September.
‘He was like, “nope, I’m sticking this one out.”‘
It felt only natural to return to check on him afterwards.
When Milton was gathering steam, he grew even more concerned for Malowski’s welfare.
Thousands have donated to the online fundraiser set up by student Terrence Concannon, which now stands at $40,000
The sailor is seen on Thursday after surviving the storm on his boat
‘That’s when I started filming more and then it blew up.’
As Malowski’s story went viral as the storm approached, social media users began pointing out the sailor has a criminal record that spans a decade.
Malowski has had over 70 contacts with police in Florida and North Carolina since 2012, according to public records seen by DailyMail.com.
He has also been involved in several lawsuits in New Jersey.
As Malowski’s story went viral as the storm approached, social media users began pointing out the sailor has a criminal record that spans a decade
Malowski in due in criminal court later this year over a dispute of his boat’s ownership
Malowski’s criminal record includes accusations of drug possession, assault, resisting police, burglary, battery, among others.
Adin Ross apparently decided to rescind his offer of a new boat for Malowski after discovering his history.
‘He came to me – I never asked for it,’ Malowski said Thursday on a TikTok after the rescinded offer.
‘Then he starts singing about my history. He should have done his due diligence.
‘I didn’t ask you for it, you offered it, I agreed. He asked me to be on Kick 100 hours a month, I said no problem, I’m down for that.
Now, he’s discussing my history and the deal is done.’
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 a park bench on fire and splashing gasoline on a woman who claimed she feared for her life.
Malinowski had lost a leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old
However, the case was dropped for unknown reasons.
Last year Malowski also had a run in with police for sinking another sailboat on Florida’s east coast, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
Malowski in due in criminal court later this year over a dispute of his boat’s ownership.
‘I went to prison, I did jail time, but I can tell you – I am innocent of all the charges!’ The sailor said of his criminal past.
‘I’ve been charged with battery, I never even saw the cop. I went to prison for a year. But karma and god are real.