Daniel Penny Raises $100K as Supporters Rush to Help Fight Charge
Donations are pouring in for Daniel Penny after prosecutors announced that the U.S. Marine veteran will be criminally charged in the choking death of Jordan Neely.
Penny, a 24-year-old white man, was captured on video placing Neely, a Black former street performer with a history of homelessness and mental health issues, in a chokehold that turned deadly during a subway ride in New York City last week.
The footage sparked outrage and protests from those who suggested that Neely's death resembled the 2020 police murder of George Floyd. Others have leapt to Penny's defense, claiming that Neely, 30, posed a threat while pointing out his long history of arrests.
A spokesperson from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement on Thursday that Penny will be "arrested on a charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree," with an arraignment expected to take place on Friday.
On the same day, a fundraiser for Penny's legal expenses appeared on the self-described "Christian fundraising site" GiveSendGo. The campaign had raised over $100,000 at the time of publication.
The fundraising page describes Penny as a "twenty-four-year-old college student and decorated Marine veteran" who is "facing a criminal investigation stemming from him protecting individuals on a NYC subway train from an assailant who later died."
"Funds are being raised to pay Mr. Penny's legal fees incurred from any criminal charges filed and any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense," the page states. "All contributions are greatly appreciated."
"Any proceeds collected which exceed those necessary to cover Mr. Penny's legal defense will be donated to a mental health advocacy program in New York City," it continues.
Contributors to the campaign left comments that highlighted the politically charged nature of Penny's case. One donor said that "Real America" was behind Penny, while another suggested that his legal battle would be "tough [in] a Democrat state."
GiveSendGo has made headlines in recent years by hosting fundraisers for controversial and largely right-wing figures who have been banned from raising money on mainstream platforms like GoFundMe.
Newsweek has reached out via email to GiveSendGo for comment.
Funds from the Penny campaign will be sent to the law offices of Steven M. Raiser and Thomas A. Kenniff, who issued a statement arguing that Penny "never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death" after taking on his case May 5.
"Mr. Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness," the lawyers wrote. "When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived."
Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards, attorneys for the Neely family, argued in a statement that Penny's defense was engaging in "a character assassination and a clear example of why [Penny] believed he was entitled to take Jordan's life."
"The truth is, he knew nothing about Jordan's history when he intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordan's neck, and squeezed and kept squeezing," said Edwards and Mills. "It is clear he is the one who acted with indifference ... he needs to be in prison."
While witnesses described threats being shouted by Neely before the choking incident took place, it is not clear that Penny was under any direct threat of physical violence at the time that he put Neely in a chokehold.
Freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, who captured the video of the choking, told The New York Times that Penny approached Neely after he began shouting and threw his jacket on the ground. At least one bystander warned Penny to release Neely from the chokehold to avoid "a murder charge."
