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“Lieutenant Dan,” who rose to fame riding a boat through hurricanes, is arrested in Florida

“Lieutenant Dan,” who rose to fame riding a boat through hurricanes, is arrested in Florida

Joseph Malinowski, who gained Internet fame for his risky decisions to ride out Hurricane Helene and Milton on his 20-foot sailboat, was arrested Friday on multiple charges, including failure to appear in court, Tampa police said.

Malinowski, 54, known as “Lieutenant Dan,” was arrested on two outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and trespassing in a city park after warning, police said in a statement.

Officials warned Malinowski on Thursday that he posed a health risk because he “did not have an accessible marine sanitation device on board his unregistered vessel and had no record of proper disposal of waste,” police said.

The police are trying to convince "Lieutenant Dan" abandoning his boat (Spencer Platt / Getty Images file)The police are trying to convince "Lieutenant Dan" abandoning his boat (Spencer Platt / Getty Images file)

Police try to persuade “Lieutenant Dan” to abandon his boat ahead of Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.

He was told to leave the Bayshore Linear Park and Dock, but was still there Friday morning, police said.

Malinowski was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail and his vessel was impounded, police said.

He remained in custody as of Friday afternoon, according to facility records. It was not clear whether he had an attorney.

Malinowski survived Hurricane Milton aboard his sailboat after gaining national attention when TikTok creator Terrence Concannon posted a series of videos about his experiences during Hurricane Helene.

His decision to remain at sea during the deadly storms caused concern and criticism.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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