The former Marine allegedly put Neely into a deadly chokehold while on a New York City subway earlier this month.
Daniel Penny is breaking his silence.
The former marine, 24, who allegedly put Jordan Neely into a deadly chokehold while on a New York City subway earlier this month, spoke out about the ordeal for the first time in an interview with The New York Post.
Telling the outlet that Neely’s death “had nothing to do with race,” Penny said, “I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist.”
Though Penny told the Post he could not go into detail about the events that transpired on the day of Neely’s death because of his pending case, he did say that the incident was not like “anything I’d experienced before,” adding, “This was different, this time was much different.”
Penny’s attorney, Thomas Kenniff, who works with the law firm Raiser & Kenniff, also spoke with the Post and said that his client’s fellow train passengers can vouch for him. “There are numerous witnesses from all different walks of life who have absolutely no motive to do anything other than to recount what actually happened. They are uniform in their recollection of events,” he said.
Earlier this month, Neely, 30, was riding a northbound F train in Manhattan when he began harassing passengers, authorities told multiple news outlets, including ABC 7.
“He starts to make a speech,” Juan Alberto Vazquez, who filmed the ordeal, previously told the Post. “He started screaming in an aggressive manner. He said he had no food, he had no drink, that he was tired and doesn’t care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all these things, took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground.”
Penny then stepped in to subdue him, placing his arms around Neely’s neck. The nearly four-minute-long video filmed by Vazquez shows the two men struggling and other passengers stepping in to hold Neely down, per The New York Times.
Neely, a Michael Jackson impersonator who had a history of mental illness, was transported to Lenox Hill Hospital where he was pronounced dead, per ABC 7. His death was later ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner, the Times reported.
According to the Post, Penny was traveling back to Manhattan after attending classes and was on his way to the gym when the incident occurred. He did not name the school where he is studying architecture, but said he is now taking classes remotely.
He was charged for the incident with second-degree manslaughter on May 12, and is currently out on a $100,000 bail, per CNN.
When asked what he would say Neely’s family after his death, Penny told the Post, “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life. It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.”
Then asked to detail if he would take action if he were to ever find himself in a similar situation, Penny nodded and told the outlet, “You know, I live an authentic and genuine life. And I would — if there was a threat and danger in the present.”
Penny also told the Post that he has the support of family and friends since the incident. “My mom is okay,” he said. “My sisters understand. They all support me.”