Lieutenant Dan was arrested

Florida man Joe Malinowski, commonly known as Lieutenant Dunnwas arrested in Tampa. The internet celebrity confirmed his incarceration on Twitter.

Lt Dan, 54, gained fame on TikTok for sailing through dangerous hurricanes on his tiny sailboat Tampa. Most recently, it weathered Category 4 Hurricane Helen and Category 5 Hurricane Milton in September and October 2024, respectively.

2:37 a.m

Relatives

Upcoming Switch game delayed due to hurricanes

The upcoming game, which is slated for release on PC and Nintendo Switch, has been hit with delays after two hurricanes hit the southeastern United States.

The TikTok star was arrested on October 18, USA Today reported, citing a statement from the local police department. Tampa Police Public Information Officer Verlize Williams said Lt. Dan was jailed on charges of failing to appear in court on some pending cases and trespassing in a city park after being warned to leave. He was previously accused of creating a public health hazard for not having a marine sanitary device (MSD) on board.

MSDs are used on vessels to clean and otherwise manage wastewater generated on board. Their main purpose is to prevent the discharge of untreated waste into the water, which can pollute the marine environment. They must be on any vessel with installed toilets under the Clean Water Act, a piece of federal law that has been in place since the early 70s.

Lt. Dan sarcastically thanks the Tampa police for the arrest

In a tweet dated Oct. 18, Lt. Dan suggested that he did not dispose of any waste, but instead stored urine and feces in “container boxes” near the refrigerator on his 22-foot boat. He described the practice as the reason for the “closure,” in addition to sarcastically thanking Tampa police for the turn of events. Local police said Lt. Dan was still in the Hillsborough County Jail as of Saturday, Oct. 19. It is currently unclear whether he was released the following day. He did not post any news on social media over the weekend.

Lt. Dan's refusal to leave his boat at Bayshore Linear Park and Dock is consistent with his track record of staying aboard no matter what. Most recently, it overcame the devastating Hurricane Milton, which had winds of up to 280 miles per hour and was estimated to have caused up to $34 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest storms in US history. Despite its destructive nature, Lt. Dan insisted that overcoming a major Category 5 hurricane was no big deal. In a statement to CBS News, he called the storm “pretty mild.” However, the TikTok star admitted that strong winds caused his sailboat to hit the harbor wall during the storm, forcing him to cut a $250 anchor to prevent further damage.

Source: Lt. Dan / TwitterCBS News