On the afternoon of May 1st last year, a controversial death occurred on the F line of the New York Manhattan subway.
The deceased was a black man named Jordan Neely, 30 years old, a street performer who often imitated Michael Jackson.
(Deceased Jordan Neely) 
On the day of the incident, according to several witnesses, Neely boarded the subway at the station before Broadway-Lafayette Street and began to harass other passengers.
He was behaving erratically and aggressively, shouting loudly that he had no food, no water, was tired, and didn’t care if he went to jail. He threw his jacket on the ground, causing passengers around him to move away, although he did not physically attack anyone or carry any weapons.
At this point, a young white boy approached from behind, subdued Neely with a chokehold, and threw him to the ground.
Witness video showed the white boy holding Neely’s neck for an extended period. Two other male passengers were also standing by, helping to control Neely’s hands as he struggled violently.
(White boy Daniel Penny)
The white boy held Neely in the chokehold for a full six minutes until he lost consciousness.
(Neely lost consciousness)
Police arrived a few minutes later and performed CPR and other emergency measures on Neely, but they were unable to revive him, and he was eventually pronounced dead at the hospital.
This case immediately sparked nationwide controversy, igniting discussions about racism, homelessness, public safety perceptions, and bystander responsibility.
(Police performing emergency measures)
The identity of the white boy was soon revealed as Daniel Penny, 24 years old, from West Islip, Long Island, from a military family, a former Marine, who had received various medals and honors, and had risen to the rank of sergeant before retiring in 2021, with an impressive background.
In contrast, Neely was a poor black homeless man, powerless, leading many to accuse Penny of white supremacy, comparing the case to the George Floyd case: using self-defense as a pretext for white privilege to lynch black people.
Countless people sympathized with Neely’s plight, chanting his name at subway stations the day after his death and protesting in Manhattan.
But Penny denied all of this, stating that the incident had nothing to do with race, that he was not a white supremacist, that he loved all cultures, and only judged people by their character. Regarding this event, he expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life but felt no shame in his actions, saying he would take similar action again if faced with a threat.
Later, his family and friends also spoke out, clarifying that he was not from a privileged class but grew up in a middle-class military family. His personality was not narrow-minded or impulsive but rather warm, friendly, calm, and inclusive. Everyone who knew him praised his kindness and his habit of helping others.
His friend Marino described him: “Penny is funny, a bit silly, never harms anyone, and is always very inclusive.”
Many details of Penny’s life were also revealed. After leaving the Marines, inspired by “Don Quixote,” he decided to leave “normal life” to pursue his dreams, dropping out of school to backpack through Central America.
He wrote on a job-seeking website: “During my travels, I rediscovered my love for communicating and connecting with people… Being able to serve and connect with the most interesting and quirky people in the world, I believe this is my mission.”
Just from these two sentences, he doesn’t seem like someone who would kill indiscriminately, but there’s also the possibility of media bias, selectively reporting details that favor his “harmless persona.”
(Penny with his mother and three sisters)
In contrast, Neely’s past was less glamorous. He had a significant criminal record on the New York subway, having maliciously attacked other passengers multiple times, including an assault in November 2021 where he broke a grandmother’s nose, causing her orbital bone to fracture and swelling at the back of her head. Before that, he had assaulted a 68-year-old passenger and broken a man’s nose…
Considering all these factors, another large group of people expressed support for Penny, praising his actions as protecting frightened passengers rather than murder, even likening him to the superhero Batman, an embodiment of justice.
Later, Neely’s family attempted to provide context, stating that his mother was murdered when he was a teenager and stuffed into a suitcase, which led to him developing schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, and falling into drug addiction, indicating he was also a victim of societal issues, insisting that Penny should be convicted of murder.
However, Penny was eventually charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, facing up to 15 years in prison, and he pleaded not guilty.
The outcome of the case was closely watched nationwide due to its political sensitivity, making an impartial jury crucial.
After two weeks of selection, Manhattan Supreme Court chose 12 jurors from approximately 450 candidates, with different professional backgrounds and varying experiences with the subway, consisting of 7 women and 5 men, at least 4 of whom were people of color, and all were anonymous.
The selection process also sparked controversy. Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran claimed that individuals with similar mental health issues, family drug history, or certain political backgrounds were more likely to be excluded if they were black, while whites were not, suggesting a lack of complete fairness, though the specifics were unclear.
(Penny)
Finally, on November 8th of this year, the case went to trial in Manhattan.
Penny maintained that he acted in self-defense, believing Neely would attack other passengers and just wanted to control him until the police arrived. However, the prosecution argued that although he had no intent to kill, he used unnecessary lethal force and ignored bystanders’ requests to let Neely go.
Penny’s defense later argued that Neely wasn’t choked to death and hired a forensic pathologist to testify that Neely’s death was due to a combination of schizophrenia, drug use, and Penny’s actions, though this was disputed by the medical examiner who conducted Neely’s autopsy.
During the trial, over 40 witnesses were called, and key evidence was re-examined. After five days of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict on December 9th local time — due to the jury’s inability to reach a unanimous decision on the more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter, the judge dismissed that charge, and Penny was ultimately found not guilty.
(Penny and his lawyer celebrating the victory)
Upon hearing the verdict, Penny laughed, many in the audience cheered and clapped, while others cried and cursed. Neely’s father was escorted out due to his emotional outburst.
The verdict reignited controversy. Some felt it was an encouragement and protection for those who intervene in dangerous situations, while others believed the black community was once again “stabbed in the back” by the law.
Outside the courtroom, chants of “No justice, no peace” echoed, but in this highly polarized case, the word “justice” was destined to disappoint half of the people…
