Global Courant 2023-05-21 03:39:03
Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran who put homeless Jordan Neely in a deadly stranglehold earlier in May, has broken his silence over the incident.
In a interview with the New York Post Penny, published on Saturday, said he was “deeply saddened” by Neely’s death.
“It’s tragic what happened to him,” Penny said. “Hopefully we can change the system that has failed us so desperately.”
Penny, who faced criminal charges over the incident, refuted all claims that he was racist for restraining Neely, a black man. The Navy veteran bluntly said the incident had “nothing to do with race”.
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Daniel Penny leaves the NYPD’s 5th Precinct on Friday, May 12, 2023. Penny faces charges in connection with the death of subway driver Jordan Neely. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
“I judge a person by their character. I’m not a white supremacist,” Penny explained. “I mean, it’s, it’s kind of comical. Anyone who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures.”
“You can see it in my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip across Africa before this happened,” Penny added.
Penny told the Post he was on his way to the gym when Neely boarded his subway on May 1. Neely, who was reportedly suffering from mental illness, started screaming that he should go to jail and was hungry and tired.
Passengers have said Neely screamed and acted erratically when Penny intervened by putting him in a chokehold. Penny’s lawyers have argued that the Navy veteran was trying to defend herself and passengers by restraining Neely.
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Marine veteran Daniel Penny, right, fatally strangled Jordan Neely, left, on a NYC subway after the homeless man threatened passengers. (Mills & Edwards/All Trails)
Authorities are still determining the extent to which Neely threatened the train’s passengers. Freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, who filmed the incident, said Neely was screaming and throwing his jacket on the floor, but he did not physically attack anyone.
But an eyewitness told Fox News Digital that Penny was a “hero” and recalled Neely using words like “kill” and “bullet” when he screamed.
“It was self-defense, and I believe in my heart of hearts that[Penny]saved a lot of people that day that could have been hurt,” the retiree told Fox News Digital.
“I’m on a train reading my book, and suddenly I hear someone spewing this rhetoric. He said, ‘I don’t care if I have to kill an F, I will. I’m going to jail, I’ll take a bullet care,” explained the woman, who is in her sixties.
The 24-year-old veteran told the Post he had no regrets about the meeting and was not ashamed.
Screenshot of a bystander video showing Jordan Neely being held in a stranglehold on the New York City subway. (Luces de Nueva York/Juan Alberto Vazquez via Storyful)
“I don’t, I mean I always do what I think is right,” Penny said.
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Penny is due in court in July and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Fox News Digital’s Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
