A former Marine, Daniel Penny served as an infantry squad leader and an instructor in water survival from 2017 to 2021. Hailing from Queens, Penny attended West Islip High School, excelling in lacrosse. Following his high school graduation, he enrolled at Suffolk Community College before joining the Marine Corps.
Penny surrendered to authorities eleven days after the incident, subsequently facing second-degree manslaughter charges. He has been released on $100,000 bail, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has six.
Despite being at the center of a political and racial firestorm, Penny asserts that the unfortunate event had nothing to do with race but rather highlights a broken system that has failed society.
Jordan Neely was a mentally ill homeless man. He needlessly lost his life aboard a northbound F train on May 1. Neely’s erratic behavior and harassment of fellow passengers led to a confrontation that escalated and ended in his demise. The 30-year-old’s death has sparked considerable fallout and debate.
In a recent interview, Daniel Penny opened up about the tragic incident involving Jordan Neely and the subsequent legal battle he now faces.
He confidently stated, “This had nothing to do with race. I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist.”
Penny’s diverse experiences and travels around the world attest to his appreciation for different cultures.
He shared, “I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
Emphasizing that he is an ordinary person and not a vigilante, Penny revealed, “I’m a normal guy.”
However, he admitted that the events on the train that day were unlike anything he had experienced before, refraining from providing further details due to the pending case.
His attorney, Thomas Kenniff, affirmed that witnesses among the F train passengers would corroborate Penny’s account.
Kenniff told NYPOST, “The threats, the menacing, the terror that Jordan Neely introduced to that train has already been well documented. Numerous witnesses from all walks of life recall the events uniformly.”
Recounting his day leading up to the incident, Penny mentioned he was returning from school, studying architecture, and heading to his gym on West 23rd Street.
Describing his frequent use of the New York transit system, he praised it as the best in the world. Penny added, “I take the subway multiple times a day. I think the New York transit system is the best in the world, and I’ve been all over the world.”
While the fatal encounter unfolded, witnesses and video evidence revealed that Penny restrained Neely by using a jiu-jitsu submission hold. Tragically, the medical examiner concluded that Neely’s cause of death was due to compression applied by Penny.
Penny surrendered to authorities eleven days after the incident, subsequently facing second-degree manslaughter charges. He has been released on $100,000 bail, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has six.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.