‘I Just Couldn’t Sit Still’: Daniel Penny Speaks About Subway Chokehold, Death of Jordan Neely

Penny said he didn't intend to harm Neely but wanted to protect other passengers

Marine veteran Daniel Penny is walked out of the New York Police Department’s 5th Precinct in Lower Manhattan on his way to an arraignment on May 12, 2023. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Daniel Penny, the Marine Corps veteran who is accused of killing homeless man Jordan Neely on a New York City subway, said he didn’t intend to take Neely’s life but to protect the frightened passengers from Neely.

Penny was charged with manslaughter after he was caught on video putting Neely in a chokehold on the floor of a northbound F train on May 1. The city’s medical examiner ruled Neely’s death a homicide, saying that he died because of “compression of neck.”