Daniel Penny, a former US Marine, has raised over $2 million for his legal defense fund after being charged with second-degree manslaughter for the death of Jordan Neely.
The incident occurred on a northbound F train at the Broadway-Lafayette station in New York City on May 1. Witnesses reported that Neely had been behaving erratically on the train, shouting at passengers and saying he was ready to go to jail.
Penny restrained him in a chokehold, causing Neely to lose consciousness. Despite Penny’s efforts to revive him, Neely was pronounced dead at the hospital due to compression on his neck, later deemed a homicide by a medical examiner, told Yahoo.
Neely’s aunt confirmed he had schizophrenia, PTSD, and depression prior to his death. Penny was released on $100,000 bail on May 12 and has since launched a GiveSendGo campaign to raise funds for his legal defense.
Penny’s lawyers say the donations demonstrate the incident has struck a chord in the psyche of New Yorkers and people worldwide, challenging any attempts to undermine the right and duty to protect against an imminent threat.
The campaign has reached $2,478,160 as of writing, with donors expressing support for Penny and his actions.
