Subway Rampage: Black Man Killed During Restraint... 3.4 Billion Won Raised in Donations

New York Subway Headlock Death Incident
"Stepped into a Dangerous Situation" Defense
Some Point to "White Supremacy" Criticism

A fundraising campaign is ongoing for a white man in his 20s who strangled a Black homeless man to death in the New York City subway.

According to U.S. media outlets including Fox News on the 16th (local time), on the 1st, Black man Jordan Neely (30) was strangled to death by white man Daniel Penny (24), a former U.S. Marine, inside the New York subway. Witnesses at the scene explained that the incident started when Neely was shouting things like "I'm hungry and thirsty" and "I'm tired of having nothing" while wandering around.

The situation was recorded by a passenger and spread through social media. The video shows Penny applying a headlock on Neely. Neely soon appeared to lose consciousness and slump, but Penny did not stop. Two male passengers nearby also joined in, restraining Neely’s weak arms and shoulders.

Former Marine Daniel Penny, who subdued a Black homeless man in the New York subway, causing his death.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Neely was immediately transported to the hospital by responding police and rescue teams but ultimately died. The cause of death was determined to be 'asphyxiation due to neck compression.'

According to reports related to the incident, Neely behaved hostilely toward passengers on the train, threatened to harm people, and reportedly said, "It's okay if I go to jail." It was also later revealed that Neely was on the 'Top 50' list of subway persons of interest closely monitored by New York City authorities.

Penny is currently charged with second-degree manslaughter. Facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted, Penny was arrested on the 12th but released on bail by the court.

Penny’s lawyer stated in a press release, "We express condolences to those close to Neely. There was absolutely no intent to harm Neely." The lawyer also explained that Penny had no choice but to restrain Neely because Neely aggressively threatened passengers.

[Image source=US online fundraising site 'GiveSendGo']

Some U.S. citizens have also shown support for Penny, saying the incident was just an accident that occurred while Penny was trying to ensure subway safety by restraining Neely.

A fundraising campaign for Penny is also ongoing. On the U.S. online fundraising site 'GiveSendGo,' legal support donations for Penny have reached $2.54 million (approximately 3.4 billion KRW). Comments praising Penny such as "You are a hero" and "Thank you for stepping up in a dangerous situation" are flooding the fundraising page.

However, there is also criticism from civil society that Penny’s restraint was an excessive response since Neely did not physically threaten others on the subway that day, and that the police’s decision to release Penny without charging him is an act of racial discrimination.

Meanwhile, Penny’s lawyer said, "It is very meaningful that tens of thousands of people worldwide took the time to donate."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.