Daniel Penny is a former U.S. Marine who became widely known for an incident on May 1, 2023, on a New York City subway where he put Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, in a chokehold. Neely had reportedly been threatening passengers on the subway. Penny applied the chokehold to restrain Neely, and Neely died shortly afterward due to compression of the neck. Penny was initially released without charges but was later charged with second- degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. His trial began in October 2024, and after the jury deadlocked on the manslaughter charge, it was dismissed. He was then acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in December 2024. The case sparked significant controversy and debate about public safety, vigilantism, and racial and social issues in New York City. Penny's supporters viewed him as protecting passengers, while critics saw his actions as a vigilante response motivated by racial bias. Neely's death was officially ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
