Jordan Neely’s Uncle Who Called for No Plea Deal for Daniel Penny Over Subway Chokehold Death Is Arrested

Jordan Neely’s uncle fled police and then was arrested Monday after being caught with several allegedly stolen credit cards, a day after he urged no plea deal for the ex-Marine accused of placing his nephew in a fatal chokehold, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

Christopher Neely was arrested late Monday night after running away from a police pickpocket team that confronted him at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, police sources said.

He was wanted for a string of larcenies in Manhattan when he was approached. After police caught up with him, Neely was found with several credit and debit cards baring other people’s names, including at least one that was reportedly stolen during a prior pickpocket. He was also carrying a gravity knife, sources said.

After being arrested, he acknowledged to officers that he was the uncle of Jordan Neely, the homeless street performer who died May 1 after a deadly encounter on a subway train in Lower Manhattan.

Police charged Neely with criminal possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, bail jumping and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was initially taken to the 14th police precinct.

Christopher Neely, 44, has an extensive criminal record with over 70 prior arrests, and had two active warrants for his arrest at the time of his apprehension Monday.

Daniel Penny, 24, faces a manslaughter charge in connection to Neely’s death. He was charged after protests called for him to be arrested.

On Sunday, Christopher Neely stated that Penny should not get a plea deal, or ‘he will do it again.’

Neely also called for the two men seen helping Daniel Penny hold Neely down during the deadly May 1 encounter on the F train to face criminal charges.

‘He needs to be prosecuted or he will do it again,’ Christopher told The New York Post.

‘It’s a smack in the face for Jordan’s family and the people of New York,’ he said.

Penny broke his silence on Saturday to say that Neely’s death had nothing to do with race, claiming he did what he believed was right and would behave the same way if he were put in the same situation again.

Neely’s uncle said Penny shouldn’t be offered a plea deal by the Manhattan DA’s Office, which charged him with second-degree manslaughter for the caught-on-camera incident

‘I want this to go to trial,’ Christopher said. ‘He has too much confidence in himself and has to be taught what he did was wrong.’

Penny had said: ‘I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist.’

The now-infamous video showed Penny restraining Neely with the help of two other passengers after the homeless Michael Jackson impersonator reportedly screamed threats and intimidated people on the train.

The other riders who helped restrain Neely on the train have not been publicly identified, and police are seeking them for questioning.

Neely’s funeral was held on Friday in Harlem, where Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a fiery eulogy to a crowd of hundreds, saying ‘when they choked Jordan, they put their arms around all of us.’

But Penny, who is currently free on $100,000 bail, rejected the suggestion that his fatal confrontation with Neely was an act of hatred or discrimination, saying, ‘this had nothing to do with race.’

‘I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures,’ Penny told the Post.

‘You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.

‘I’m a normal guy,’ added Penny, insisting that he is not a vigilante.

Penny, who is from Long Island, faces 15 years in prison in a case that has been highly polarizing, with conservative politicians jumping to defend him, and prominent liberals calling for him to be convicted of murder and jailed.

A fund to pay for his legal defense had reached $2.76million by Tuesday morning.

Penny said he does not watch the news and that while he was aware of negative opinions about him, he tried not to let them affect him.

‘If you’re faced with all these challenges, you have to remain calm,’ he said.

‘What’s the point of worrying about something, worrying is not going to make your problems disappear.

‘I attribute this to my father and grandfather. They are very very stoic.’

Penny also said he had quit social media years ago.

‘I don’t follow anyone, and I don’t have social media because I really don’t like the attention and I just think there are better ways to spend your time. I don’t like the limelight,’ he said.