Protesters Accuse Marine Vet of White Supremacy as Jury Selection Begins in Subway Vigilante Case

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a Marine Corps veteran facing manslaughter charges after he appeared on cellphone video placing an erratic and aggressive subway passenger in a chokehold.

The passenger, Jordan Neely, 30, later died. He had a history of mental illness and a criminal record that included prior allegations of violence within the New York City subway system.

Daniel Penny, 25, faces up to 19 years in prison if convicted on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Jordan Neely in Daniel Penny’s headlock

Daniel Penny, ex-marine who placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold on the subway leading to his death, turns himself into the NYPD 5th Precinct. (Credit Image: © Edna Leshowitz/ZUMA Press Wire)

{snip}

Lawyers for the veteran previously told Fox News Digital there is “overwhelming evidence that Danny was justified in the actions he took to protect the commuters on that train.”

{snip}

Dozens of Neely supporters arrived before the start of the hearing wearing “Malcom X” hats outside the Manhattan courthouse, some carried signs calling on the city to “#AbolishPolice” and others blaming his death on “White supremacist violence.”

According to testimony from a motion hearing last month, Neely barged onto the train after the 10th Street Station, ripped his jacket off and threatened to “kill anybody” in May 2023.

“He was acting like a lunatic, like a crazy person,” Penny later told detectives. {snip}

{snip}