Marine and college student Daniel Penny, 24 years old, turned himself in to authorities on Friday for allegations related to Jordan Neely, a black man with a history of violence and mental health issues.
Fox News reported that Penny is charged with holding Neely in a chokehold due to Neely’s threats against fellow subway passengers, resulting in Neely’s death.
According to NBC 4 in New York, the decision to prosecute Penny came from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office. Bragg is the same district attorney who has been prosecuting former President Donald Trump recently.
Penny “is expected to be transported Friday to Manhattan Criminal Court and arraigned on one count of second-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors are expected to ask for significant bail, a source told” Fox.
Despite the charges against him, tens of thousands of individuals have contributed to the legal defense fund of the former U.S. Marine.
More than 21,000 donors had contributed to the GiveSendGo account set up for Daniel Penny as of Saturday morning, less than twenty-four hours after it went live.
“All contributions are greatly appreciated. Any proceeds collected which exceed those necessary to cover Mr. Penny’s legal defense will be donated to a mental health advocacy program in New York City,” the site says
The charges stem from an incident in the subway where Neely was observed, “making threats and scaring people,” Fox reports. “The defendant approached Mr. Neely from behind and placed him in a chokehold, taking him down to the ground,” the prosecutor said at Penny’s arraignment.
Wednesday, the medical examiner of New York City verified that Neely’s death was caused by a “chokehold.”
Penny will be charged with Manslaughter in the Second Degree, according to ABC Correspondent CeFaan Kim’s tweets. The ME categorized the incident as a “homicide,” but further legal proceedings would be required to establish intent or culpability, Conservative Brief reports, and ABC Correspondent CeFaan Kim tweeted that Penny will be charged with Manslaughter in the Second Degree.
According to freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez and a report from The New York Post, witnesses reported that Neely engaged in a hostile tirade in the subway on Monday afternoon. According to witnesses, he displayed erratic behavior and yelled that he was unconcerned about going to prison.
Penny and at least one additional passenger moved to subdue Neely, who had been arrested at least 42 times in the previous decade. But under the Democratic leadership of New York City, he never received the mental health care he appeared to require. Mayor of New York City Eric Adams stated at a press conference on Thursday that “Jordan Neely did not deserve to die,” despite Neely’s threat to other citizens.
Neely’s most recent arrest occurred in November 2021, when he was charged with felony assault for allegedly striking a 67-year-old woman in the face. The victim sustained significant injuries as a result of the assault, and Neely was subsequently imprisoned for more than a year, according to the New York Daily News.
Albert Vazquez, a freelance journalist, captured the altercation on video. “He started screaming in an aggressive manner,” Vazquez told the New York Post.
A 66-year-old witness told the New York Post that she was praying for Penny because she did not intervene until Neely’s behavior became unacceptable. “According to the witness, Neely stated, ‘I don’t care, I’ll take a bullet, I’ll go to prison’ because he intended to murder people on the train.
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
Penny’s attorneys released a statement on the death late last week, saying that their client “was involved in a tragic incident on the NYC Subway, which ended in the death of” Neely, Conservative Brief reported. CONTINUE READING…
