Jordan Neely's Family Releases Statement Targeting Subway Marine: 'He Needs to Be in Prison'
The family of a man who died last week on a New York City subway after he allegedly threatened other passengers issued a statement Monday that called for a Marine veteran who subdued him to be put in prison.
Jordan Neely, 30, died on a train after he reportedly vowed to harm people and was confronted by 24-year-old veteran Daniel Penny who put him in a chokehold.
Video of the encounter shows two men helped Penny as he subdued Neely.
A coroner later ruled that Penny’s actions during the encounter proved fatal and classified Neely’s death as a homicide.
Penny’s attorney issued a statement on Saturday that defended his actions and called for more to be done to help people suffering from mental illness.
Through their attorneys, Neely’s family said Monday morning that the Marine veteran belongs behind bars.
The statement, which was provided to WABC-TV, reads:
“Daniel Penny’s press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret. It is a character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life. In the first paragraph, he talks about how ‘good’ he is and the next paragraph he talks about how ‘bad’ Jordan was in an effort to convince us Jordan’s life was ‘worthless.’
“The truth is, he knew nothing about Jordan’s history when he intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordan’s neck, and squeezed and kept squeezing. In the last paragraph, Daniel Penny suggests that the general public has shown ‘indifference’ for people like Jordan, but that term is more appropriately used to describe himself.
“It is clear he is the one who acted with indifference, both at the time he killed Jordan and now in his first public message. He never attempted to help him at all. In short, his actions on the train, and now his words, show why he needs to be in prison.”
The statement, which was attributed to attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards, concluded, “Mayor Eric Adams, give us a call. The family wants you to know Jordan matters. You seem to think others are more important than him.”
The statement from Penny’s attorneys blamed the incident on Neely’s mental health and defended the young man’s actions.
New: Daniel Penny, the man who choked and killed Jordan Neely, has released a statement through his attorneys pic.twitter.com/QvHS5N69sG
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 6, 2023
“Mr. Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness,” the statement said in reference to Neely’s dozens of previous arrests.
Some of those arrests were for alleged assault.
The statement from Penny’s attorneys said, ”When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.”
Lawyers Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff added, ”Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.”
A grand jury might take up the incident this week.
In 2021 alone, Neely allegedly punched two women in their sixties in separate unprovoked attacks, the New York Post reported.
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