Who is Daniel Penny? | The US Sun

POLICE have connected Daniel Penny to the 2023 death of Jordan Neely.

Neely, 30, died on May 1, 2023, after he was held in a headlock for several minutes on a New York City subway.

Who is Daniel Penny?

Daniel Penny is a 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Long Island, New York.

He has been identified as the man who choked Neely to death on a subway train, according to The New York Times.

Not much is known about Penny’s personal life, but his LinkedIn page states that he joined the Marine Corps in 2017 as an infantry assault man.

He then became a water survival instructor in June 2020.

At this time, additional details on Penny are unclear because he often stays out of the spotlight and off social media.

Was Daniel Penny arrested?

Penny has not been arrested as of this writing, which has sparked protests throughout the city, but the case is still being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the medical examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible and obtain additional medical records,” Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the office, said in a statement, via The New York Times.

Penny has not addressed the situation publically, but his lawyers released a statement on his behalf, claiming that Neely was “aggressively threatening” him.

“Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death,” Penny’s lawyers said, via The New York Times.

“When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.”

Neely’s family then addressed Penny’s statement and demanded that he be put in jail.

“Daniel Penny’s press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret,” Neely’s family said, via PEOPLE.

“It is a character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.”

The statement continued: “…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.”

More information about the case is expected to be released in the coming days.

2

Who was Jordan Neely?

Jordan Neely was a 30-year-old homeless man from New York City.

Some might’ve recognized him as a Michael Jackson impersonator who often danced in Times Square.

Over the years, Neely struggled with mental illness, which led to several police encounters.

“He had a history of encounters with the NYPD…Including 42 arrests on charges including petit larceny, jumping subway turnstiles, theft, and three unprovoked assaults on women in the subway between 2019 and 2021,” a law enforcement source told CNN.

At this time, additional details on Neely’s personal life are unclear.