Daniel Penny Speaks Publicly For The First Time Since Jordan Neely Death – 'This Has Nothing To Do With Race'

On Saturday, Daniel Penny, the ex-Marine who was responsible for the chokehold that led to the death of Jordan Neely, insisted that his actions had nothing to do with race and instead were done because of a failed justice system in New York City “that so desperately failed us.”

Daniel Penny was faced with a hard decision when riding the subway. A passenger, Jordan Neely, began screaming and harassing other passengers on the ride, threatening to bring physical harm to others. Penny made the hard call to physically restrict the man in a chokehold until authorities could arrive, however, Neely ended up passing away.

Since that incident, Penny and Neely have been at the center of a major political and social controversy around race, white supremacy, crime, and New York City. Penny has surrendered to authorities in New York City, facing charges of manslaughter for his actions. 

Penny spoke with the New York Post, his first public comments since the incident that occurred on that New York subway on May 1st. Penny made it very clear his intentions behind his actions and the beliefs that led him to where he is now. 

“This has nothing to do with race,” the 24-year-old said. “I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist.”

“I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical,” the former Marine added. “Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, 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.”

Penny spoke about the events on that train, stating that the incident with Neely “was much different” from any other incident he’s experienced on the subway.

“I can tell you that the threats, the menacing, the terror that Jordan Neely introduced to that train have already been well documented,” the New York City resident said. “I don’t think it’s going to even be controverted. There are numerous witnesses from all different walks of life who have absolutely no motive to do anything other than to recount what actually happened. They are uniform in their recollection of events.”

Penny is still very sympathetic to the events and Neely himself, despite the hard decision that he had to make. 

“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life,” he stated solemnly “It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.”

Neely was a mentally ill homeless man who had a long history of mental illness as well as 42 prior arrests. The system clearly failed Neely, Penny, and all other New York City residents by allowing a dangerous man in clear need of help back onto the streets so many times. 

Conservatives have been jumping to the defense of Penny and noting the immense failure of District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) in allowing such an event to occur. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has voiced his support for the former Marine, referring to him as a “Good Samaritan,” per the DC Enquirer. Other notable people like Kid Rock jumped to Penny’s defense, saying, “Mr. Penny is a hero. Alvin Bragg is a POS,” per the DC Enquirer.

Daniel Penny is a moral person who was presented with a hard and unfortunate choice to be made. It’s hard to demonize a man whose actions were done in an attempt to protect other people, but somehow the radical left was quick to find ways to do so.