Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Wednesday that “senior, experienced prosecutors” are investigating the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely as violent clashes with police erupted Wednesday in New York City.
Neely, 30, was reportedly having a mental episode on the F train Monday, yelling and pacing back and forth, when a U.S. Marine veteran tackled him to the ground and put him in a chokehold, according to witnesses and police.
Two other straphangers helped restrain him, and video that captured part of the encounter shows Neely, a Michael Jackson impersonator, slowly go limp then die.
The city’s medical examiner determined that the manner of death was homicide caused by compression of the neck.
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Alvin Bragg said the chokehold death of Jordan Neely will be probed by senior prosecutors. Police are shown investigating after Neely’s death May 1, 2023. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images//FNTV)
The man who shot the now viral cellphone video, freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, told the New York Post that Neely “started screaming in an aggressive manner” and complaining that he had no food and nothing to drink. The veteran allegedly held Neely in a chokehold for 15 minutes, according to Vazquez.
The vet, when reached by phone, politely declined to comment.
“This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neely’s life,” a spokesperson for Bragg said in a statement.
“As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records. This investigation is being handled by senior, experienced prosecutors.”
NYPD vehicles wait on the street as officers carry out CPR on a 30-year-old man who was choked to death on a Manhattan train Monday, May 1, 2023, after he reportedly threatened straphangers, police said. (Paul Martinka)
The 24-year-old veteran was taken into custody and released, sparking public outrage, with groups of protesters calling his actions “murder” and clashing Tuesday with police in the subway station where Neely died and on the streets nearby in Lower Manhattan.
In the footage, demonstrators on the platform can be heard chanting “F— Eric Adams,” referring to the mayor who said Wednesday that the DA should be given time to conduct his investigation.
An irate protester can be seen asking an officer on the platform of the Broadway-Lafayette station, “You saw a f—ing murderer on video last night. Why isn’t that man arrested?”
Demonstrator holds a sign in Lower Manhattan protesting the lack of charges in Jordan Neely’s subway chokehold death. (FNTV)
On a Manhattan street police can be seen in the footage making an arrest as protesters charge at the officers and yell, “F— you, pig!”
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The NYPD busted five protesters Wednesday on charges ranging from making graffiti to resisting arrest, obstruction and harassment. Demonstrator Isabel Penzlien, 48, was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and other alleged crimes.
Retired NYPD Lt. John Macari, whose podcast “The Finest Unfiltered” focuses on issues facing the city’s police department, told Fox News Digital that the incident highlights an overall failure in public safety.
Jordan Neely, left, and Moses Harper doing their Michael Jackson impersonations in front of Regal cinemas in Times Square. Neely was killed on Monday, May 1, 2023, on a New York City subway after reportedly being placed in a chokehold by a fellow passenger. (Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
“You have people commuting on a train who have to deal with mentally ill people who are a danger to themselves and others,” he said. “But there are no cops on the subway platform – even though the NYPD has a larger budget than some countries in the world.”
He said the Marine veteran was trying to be a good Samaritan who stepped in to help. “It’s easy for us to sit here when our adrenaline isn’t flowing and say that [chokehold] is too long,” he added. “But he was probably terrified. If I let him go, what’s going to happen?”
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The city failed both the Marine vet and the homeless man by allowing subway safety to deteriorate, he said.
“They are both victims,” Macari argued. “100% they will charge him.”
The Manhattan DA’s Office is asking anyone who witnessed the fatal encounter or has information about it to call 212-335-9040.
