Daniel Penny is a former US Marine accused of putting a homeless man, Jordan Neely, in a fatal chokehold on a NYC subway ride on May 1, 2023. He is currently awaiting a verdict after a month-long trial.
The 26-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide, has drawn support from several individuals, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, who defended the Marine veteran, saying he was only trying to protect the people on the train from Neely who had a history of mental illness and had allegedly made death threats.
Adam echoed Penny’s defense in the case that he was only trying to protect his fellow passengers from a seemingly unstable Neely when he put him in a chokehold for six minutes. After the incident, Daniel Penny remained at the scene and spoke with police voluntarily. During the trial last month, Daniel Penny's 30-minute police interrogation revealed the marine veteran reiterating he was only trying to protect the passengers from harm and had not intended to kill Neely with the chokehold.
The case has divided the nation, with many believing Daniel Penny was justified in his actions. As people await the verdict, the 30-minute police interrogation video resurfaced online, prompting Penny to trend online. In the video, the Detective is heard asking Penny if he would consider the headlock as a “Rear naked Choke,” a martial arts technique that renders an opponent unconscious in eight seconds.
A “Rear naked Choke,” also known as "hadaka jime" in Judo and "lion killer choke" or sleeper hold, interferes with the blood flow between a person’s heart and brain, resulting in a person to lose consciousness in 7 to 8 seconds. If held for longer, it can result in fatal consequences.
Daniel Penny interrogation video explored
In the Interrogation video, Penny, who was studying architecture in New York City at the time, was being interviewed by NYPD detectives Michael Medina and Brian McCarthy. At the time, Penny was unaware that Neely had died.
Penny told police he was afraid Jordan Neely might act on his death threats when he grabbed him in a headlock.
"He's like, 'If I don't get this, this and this, I'm going to go to jail forever,'" Penny said. "He was talking gibberish, you know, but these guys are pushing people in front of trains and stuff."
Penny said he exchanged looks with the person next to him and asked them to hold his phone before grabbing Neely from behind in a headlock.
"I just kind of, like, grabbed him from behind.” Penny continued “Because he was acting like a lunatic, like a crazy person. So, he was rolling around the floor. At that point, the train stopped. I was like, ‘Someone call the cops,’ and he's still, like rolling around, still going crazy. I had two other guys kind of help me just kind of keep him from going nuts. And yeah, that's when you guys came," (via Fox)
During the interrogation, the Detective asked Neely to demonstrate the chokehold before asking if he applied pressure. Penny denied applying pressure but admitted to wrapping his legs around Neely to subdue him. The detective then asked Penny if he learned the grappling tactic in the Marine Corps. Penny replied affirmatively before divulging he made it to the "green level."
When the other detective asked Penny if he put him on a sleeper hold, the marine veteran said:
“I'm not trying to kill the guy.”
The other detective interjects, saying he took Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before asking if he considered the headlock a Rear naked Choke:
Penny denied knowing what that meant. When the officer pushed, he responded with:
“I don’t know what you would call that.”
When the detective asked why he would wrap his legs around Neely, Penny said to keep him in place and prevent him from flopping around. Penny denied applying any pressure to Neely’s neck.
When the detective asked Daniel Penny what prompted his involvement in the situation, Penny said he was only trying to protect other passengers.
“I'm not a confrontational guy. But in the Marine Corps, I felt the need to step in. There are women and children on the train. I’m sure there’s a lady there who will vouch for me.”
Penny said he released the chokehold after two guys stepped in and held Neely’s arms.
Witnesses provide divided testimony
During the trial, the jury heard from passengers who gave divided testimony, some saying they felt threatened by Neely’s behavior, and others revealing concern over Penny’s chokehold.
A witness, Caedryn Schrunk, told the Jury:
“I truly believed that I was going to die at that moment,” (via BBC)
Meanwhile, another man, Johnny Grima, said Daniel Penny did not step aside when he asked him to put Neely on his side rather than in a chokehold as he was concerned that Neely was not moving.
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During the trial, the defense maintained Penny was only trying to save other passengers. Meanwhile, prosecutors did not dispute Penny's action to save passengers. Still, they contended he went too far with the chokehold despite being aware of the consequences due to his Marine Corps training.
If convicted of a manslaughter charge, Daniel Penny faces 15 years in prison.
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