New photos detail scene where viral star ‘Lieutenant Dan’ was accused of trying to set a woman on fire

Newly released photos detail one of the more harrowing incidents involving viral star “Lieutenant Dan,” who shot to fame earlier this month for refusing to leave his sailboat as Hurricane Milton made it’s destructive and deadly path towards Tampa, Florida.

One-legged sailor Joseph Malinowski, aka “Lieutenant Dan,” took the internet by storm for his defiance of Milton — but in the days following his rise to fame, his voluminous rap sheet surfaced and revealed over a dozen arrests.

One of the most shocking arrests was when he was accused of attempting to set a woman on fire just south of West Palm Beach, FL earlier this year.

An offense report by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, exclusively obtained by The Post, claims on February 23, 2024, Malinowski was arguing with a woman named Sarah Perry as she was smoking a cigarette nearly 20 feet away with her brother and a friend.

Malinowski poured gasoline on the concrete bench between them as she walked closer to the burning bench, while still holding a cigarette, according to the report. Malinowski then “walks with the crutches, picked up the red gasoline container and splashed Perry with Gasoline.”

“She feared for her life due to the potential for the gasoline to ignite due to her holding an ignited cigarette and her proximity to the open flame,” deputy sheriff Ryan Herzog said.

The photos show a damaged white bench with black burn marks from the fire and dark patches on the bricked pedestrian walkway.

Another photo shows the gallon of gas with an unusual foil food wrapping around the spout sitting on a cement bench next to a black backpack and tree.

Authorities suspect he used the gas in the gallon to set the bench on fire and toss onto Perry.

Perry then called 911 as an unnamed person moved Malinowski’s crutches to prevent him from using them “as weapons and escaping.”

Herzong, the responding deputy sheriff, said Perry’s clothes were wet and that he smelled the odor of gasoline.

Malinowski told Herzong that Perry had “thrown several cans at him” though the deputy didn’t find any cans in the area. 

The report adds that Malinowski admitted to lighting the bench on fire to “burn the residue off” but denied putting any on Perry.

The deputy sheriff concluded in his report that Malinowski “did intentionally throw gasoline” at Perry.

“Lieutenant Dan” was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He wasn’t charged for setting the bench on fire because there wasn’t permanent damage.

Malinowski received his “Lieutenant Dan” nickname from TikTok user Terrence Concannon due to his resemblance to the one-legged Forrest Gump character. Concannon even set up a GoFundMe for Malinowski but he’s not yet received the full amount of the $46,000 raised.

The sailor briefly had a deal with the streaming platform Kick but the founder Adin Ross pulled it after Malinowski spewed a racial slur during his first livestream. Days later it was announced that Ross instead gave a deal to Concannon.

Malinowski was later banned from going live on TikTok for seven days after he went on a homophobic rant early Tuesday morning.