A marine has been identified as the person who put Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, in a fatal chokehold on a subway train in Lower Manhattan earlier this week. The marine, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny, has not been criminally charged in connection with the incident, but police have confirmed that they are currently investigating the incident as a homicide.
“The marine who fatally choked Jordan Neely on an NYC subway this week is 24-year-old Daniel Penny,” confirmed The New York Post.
Penny, who has not yet been charged with a crime, was captured on camera using a chokehold on the homeless 30-year-old, Neely, on the F train just before 2:30 p.m. on Monday at a Lower Manhattan subway stop.
Neely had been reportedly causing trouble on the subway, threatening passengers and throwing garbage while begging for food – ultimately stating that he didn’t care if he went to jail, according to police and witnesses.
According to Newsweek, Jordan Neely had a lengthy criminal record with at least 42 arrests on his record, which included charges of theft, assault, and drug offenses. Neely was a Michael Jackson impersonator whose mental health deteriorated in recent years, according to his family.
The marine from West Islip intervened and put Neely in a headlock for several minutes, causing him to pass out. When the Emergency Medical Services arrived, they were unable to revive Neely, and he was pronounced dead.
Although Penny was briefly held in custody, he was later released without charges, and the police stated that they were waiting for the autopsy report before considering criminal charges. The city’s medical examiner ruled on Wednesday that Neely’s death was a homicide caused by compression of the neck.
Following the release of the report, the Manhattan District Attorney stated that they were conducting a “thorough” investigation that was being overseen by “senior, experienced prosecutors” to determine whether Penny would be charged in the fatal chokehold.
According to his online resume, Penny served in the Marines Corps from 2017 to 2021, where he worked as an infantry squad leader and a water survival instructor. He was deployed twice, his profile says. Despite the incident, police officials confirmed that Penny is still on active duty and in good standing.
The avid surfer most recently worked in customer service at a Sweetwater Surf shop until May of last year, according to his profile. After his tours with the Marines, he briefly enrolled in college but then dropped out and backpacked through Central America, the profile says.
