Daniel Penny, who was cleared of charges in Jordan Neely‘s death on the New York City subway, attended the annual Army-Navy football match in Maryland, where he met President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The incident involving the homeless Black street performer’s death led to protests advocating for homeless New Yorkers’ rights. Whilst Penny and some train passengers claimed Neely posed a threat, the former Marine’s chokehold lasted over six minutes, The Independent reported.
“He was just threatening to kill people,” Penny told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. “He was threatening to go to jail forever, to go to jail for the rest of his life.”
Conservative politicians and right-wing media portrayed Penny as a hero. After his acquittal, he received an invitation from Vance to attend the Army-Navy game.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance wrote on X earlier this week. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
Donald Trump Jr shared a photo of Penny with Trump and Vance alongside the caption “common sense reigns again!!!”
On May 1, 2023, Penny applied a chokehold on Neely for approximately six minutes, maintaining it whilst passengers left the train and Neely became unresponsive.
Prior to the incident, Neely had reportedly shouted about needing basic necessities like food, water, shelter, and employment, stating he was prepared to die. Reports indicate he had thrown rubbish at passengers. The medical examiner’s findings confirmed that Neely’s death resulted from neck compression caused by Penny’s chokehold.
