DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Former Marine Daniel Penny said Tuesday that he stands by his actions on a New York City subway, despite enduring years of harsh criticism.
During an interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro on “The Five,” Penny revealed his motivations and said he intervened to prevent potential harm as he prioritizes the safety of others over his personal comfort with the public and media attention. He added that he would endure a “million court appearances and the hatred and name-calling that comes with them” if it meant preventing even one person from coming to harm.
“This type of this is very uncomfortable. All this attention and limelight is very uncomfortable. I would prefer without it. I didn’t want any type of attention or praise … and I still don’t. The guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt if he did do what he was threatening to do, I would never be able to live with myself,” Penny told Pirro when she asked him what made him choose to get involved.
Penny also touched on the broader implications of his experience and criticized the policies of liberal city leaders, which he believes contributed to the subway incident.
“These public officials would do something so self-serving … These political gain, I mean these are their policies and I don’t mean to get political or make enemies, although I guess I have already,” Penny said.
A Manhattan court found Penny not guilty on Monday after the jury dismissed a charge of second-degree manslaughter last week when it could not reach a unanimous verdict. Penny subdued 30-year-old Jordan Neely in May 2023 with a chokehold after Neely began exhibiting erratic behavior on a New York City subway.
Law enforcement sources and witnesses on the F Train described Neely as yelling and acting unpredictably, prompting passengers to feel threatened. According to prosecutors, Penny maintained the chokehold on Neely for around six minutes.
Penny’s lawyer, attorney Thomas Kenniff, previously said he was confident that a Manhattan jury would focus solely on the facts, not racial issues, despite a recent refusal to dismiss the case.