Marine who choked Jordan Neely to death on subway raises over $2 million for defense fund

The Marine who choked Jordan Neely to death on the subway has raised more than $2 million for his defense fund.

Daniel Penny, a former US Marine, was on board a northbound F train at the Broadway-Lafayette station on Monday 1 May when he saw Neely allegedly start to behave 'erratically' on the train.

Witnesses said that Neely had been shouting at passengers, saying he was prepared to go to jail before Penny stepped in to restrain him.

Penny put Neely in a chokehold, after which he lost consciousness, telling other passengers to call 911.

However, after Neely was removed from the train and taken to hospital, he was pronounced dead, with a medical examiner later determining his cause of death was a homicide as a result of the compression on his neck.

Juan Vazquez

Neely's aunt later confirmed that he suffered from schizophrenia alongside PTSD and depression prior to his death.

Penny now faces a second-degree manslaughter charge, having been released on $100,000 bail last Friday (12 May).

His attorneys created a GiveSendGo campaign to help raise money for 'Daniel Penny’s Legal Defense Fund', citing the huge bail fee.

The fundraiser has now surpassed $2 million, with Penny’s lawyers saying the support shows the circumstances surrounding his arrest have ‘struck a chord in the psyche of New Yorkers’.

Speaking to The New York Post via email, attorney Steven M. Raiser said: “The outpouring of support for Danny is always measured by the amount raised, but what is even more telling is that tens of thousands of people from all over the world have taken the time to donate.

“This level of support demonstrates that the situation forced upon him in that subway car earlier this month, and his subsequent arrest, has struck a chord in the psyche of New Yorkers and has been echoed nationwide.

Alamy/Erik Pendzich

“The message being sent by this massive showing of support is that any attempt to undermine the right and duty to protect one another against an imminent threat will be challenged.”

The GiveSendGo campaign currently has $2,478,160 at the time of writing, with one donor writing: “We are praying for you. This is what is wrong with our society ! Thank you for protecting other people on the bus and during your Marine service.”

Someone else said as they donated $50: “We are praying for you. This is what is wrong with our society! Thank you for protecting other people on the bus and during your Marine service.”

A third added: “Just trying to show some support for a man that did the right thing and is being done so wrong for it.”