The former Marine who put homeless man Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway train has been identified by a Marine Corps spokesman as Daniel J. Penny.

On Monday, a 30-year-old black man named Jordan Neely was threatening and intimidating passengers on the F train in Manhattan, yelling “I want food,” “I’m ready to go back to jail,” and “I’ll hurt anyone on this train.” It was also reported by witnesses that Neely said he was “ready to go back to jail” and wasn’t afraid of getting a life sentence.

As passengers began to get nervous by the man’s erratic behavior, a 24-year-old Marine veteran came up behind Neely and put him in a chokehold to subdue him, restraining him on the ground with the help of another passenger.

After Neely stopped fighting back, the former Marine reportedly let him go. Sadly, when EMS arrived at the scene they were unable to revive Neely.

The Marine veteran, now known to the public as Daniel J. Penny, served in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, and 2nd Marine Division as a sergeant in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After serving for four years and receiving seven medals, he left the service in June 2021.

Between December 2017 and July 2019, Penny was deployed in the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit across the Mediterranean.

The death of Neely, which was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, has sparked protests in New York City.

Democrats like AOC have already begun calling Penny a murderer and are calling Neely’s death a “lynching.” They are calling for Penny to be prosecuted for murder.

Those who take this perspective, however, are claiming that Neely was simply asking for food and water while ignoring the threatening comments he was making that suggested he was about to turn violent. Additionally, the passengers were unsure if he was armed.

Those on the other side of the argument have called Penny a hero for stepping in to protect himself and the subway passengers from a clearly disturbed man who suffered from schizophrenia, PTSD, and depression.

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