Donations for ex-Marine charged with subway killing exceed $2 million

article content

A fundraiser for a former Marine charged with killing a homeless man on a New York subway has surpassed $2.2 million.

article content

Daniel Penny’s legal team said the donations are continuing to flow because the Subway chokehold case has “resonated” with people across the country.

article content

Jordan Nealy, 30, a former street performer with a long history of mental illness, was choked to death on May 1 while riding a subway in Manhattan.

The money raised for Penny’s legal defense fund on GiveSendGo — ($2.24 million as of Monday night) — is intended to help the 24-year-old fight criminal charges against him.

Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter last week for allegedly choking and killing Neely. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is trying to secure a grand jury indictment so the case can proceed, Penny’s attorney Steven Raiser said.

Featured Video

article content

“The overwhelming support for Danny is always measured by the amount raised, but what’s even more telling is that tens of thousands of people from around the world have taken the time to donate,” Raiser wrote in an email the New York Post.

“This level of support shows that the situation forced upon him in that subway car earlier this month and his subsequent arrest has struck a chord in the psyche of New Yorkers and resonated nationally,” she wrote.

“This massive statement of support sends a message that any attempt to undermine the right and duty to protect one another from an imminent threat is rejected.”

Penny’s lawyers, who launched the GiveSendGo campaign on his behalf, said he did not want to kill Neely.

Neely’s family have claimed that Penny should be charged with murder.

Raiser said he choked Neely to defend himself and others on the subway.

“This guy is a hero to me,” one anonymous donor wrote. “He should get a medal for what he did, not a jail sentence… We need to take back our city. God bless this guy for trying to help.”