Daniel Penny Raises $1.5 Million For Defense After Charges In NYC Subway Chokehold Death

Topline

An online fundraiser for Daniel Penny raised more than $1.5 million as of Sunday, two days after the 24-year-old former Marine was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of 30-year-old Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train—a case that has drawn polarizing political reactions.

Daniel Penny, center, is walked by New York Police Department detectives detectives out of the 5th … [+] Precinct on Friday, May. 12, 2023 in New York. AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)

AP/Jeenah Moon

Key Facts

As of Sunday at 10:00 a.m. the fundraiser, started on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, collected more than $1.5 million.

The fundraiser, hosted by the law firm Raiser & Kenniff, P.C., is raising funds to pay Penny’s legal fees “incurred from any criminal charges filed,” any future civil lawsuits and expenses related to his defense, according to the description on the fundraising site.

Proceeds that exceed what’s necessary to cover Penny’s legal defense will be donated to a mental health advocacy program in New York City, the description said.

Raiser & Kenniff, P.C. could not immediately be reached for comment.

Key Background

Penny surrendered to police on manslaughter charges Friday and was released on a $100,000 bond. He’s accused of placing Neely in a fatal chokehold while aboard a northbound F train on May 1. The incident, which was captured on video, outrage quickly spread on social media and sparked outrage. Before Penny was charged, many New Yorkers took to the streets to protest the initial release of Penny and lack of charges in the case. Some of those protests turned violent and led to several arrests. Penny’s identity was initially withheld, with police identifying him solely as a Marine veteran. Penny’s attorneys have argued he was acting in self-defense, claiming Neely was “aggressively threatening” Penny and other passengers on the subway. But Neely’s family’s attorneys said he was not provoking anyone and was suffering from a mental health crisis before the incident. Neely, who worked as a Michael Jacson impersonator, routinely performed in the Times Square subway hub.

Surprising Fact

Individuals who donated to Penny’s fundraising effort left comments backing Penny’s self defense argument: “Thank you for standing up for innocent people that day,” one person wrote. Some Republicans have shown their support for Penny by sharing the fundraising effort on their social media accounts. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) shared the crowdfunding effort on Twitter and attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has become a frequent target for some on the right after he brought charges against former President Donald Trump earlier this year. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) have also shown their support for Penny.

Contra

New York Democrats have called for charges against Penny. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said it was “disgusting” for Penny to be “protected with passive headlines and no charges.” Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) called for justice for Neely’s family. New York City Mayor Eric Adams—who was criticized for his initial response—said “we need to make sure these things don’t happen again.”

Tangent

A fundraiser to cover the costs of Neely’s funeral, set up by his aunt Carolyn, has raised $103,000 from more than 3,000 donations, according to the GoFundMe site.