The progressive-left mob has come for Daniel Penny

The reaction to the recent New York City subway confrontation that resulted in the death of homeless man Jordan Neely and the arrest of former Marine Sergeant Daniel Penny demonstrates so much of what has gone wrong with our society and how far the level of civil discourse has fallen.  

First, the facts. Jordan Neely suffered from severe mental illness. He had a record of 42 previous arrests, including four for assault, and was wanted on a warrant for seriously injuring a 67-year-old woman by punching her in the face.   

In the moments prior to the tragic encounter that led to his death, Neely was throwing garbage at subway passengers and screaming that he didn’t care if he went to prison for the rest of his life.  

Several passengers dialed 911 for police assistance. Others would later say how fearful they had been. In that moment, Daniel Penny and two other passengers — one of them a person of color — tackled Neely and brought him down. Neely resisted forcefully, kicking and screaming and trying to break loose.  

Penny put his arms around Neely’s head and neck; the others tried to restrain his arms and legs. This went on for about three minutes until the train pulled into the station and police arrived. Racial epithets were not used. As a retired Marine trained in martial arts, Penny probably could have killed or seriously injured Neely in a matter of seconds if that had been his intent. If he had let up even for a moment, Neely might have been able to break loose. When the police arrived, they questioned Penny and released him. 

The reaction to this tragedy from the progressive left was almost instantaneous and certainly irresponsible. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Al Sharpton started the fusillade of rage, demanding Neely be charged with murder.  

The cacophony grew. City Comptroller Brad Lander labeled Penny a “vigilante.” Demonstrators shouted that Neely’s death was a racist murder, that he was intentionally killed because he was Black. Hundreds of protesters flooded a train station, jumped onto the track and demanded that Penny be arrested. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg then ordered Penny arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter before the case had even gone to a grand jury. Penny surrendered and was released on $100,000 bail.  

In a matter of days, more than 55,000 people have donated over $2.6 million to Penny’s defense fund. This spontaneous support for Penny demonstrates the average New Yorker’s realization of how dangerous New York City subways have become — how terrifying it is to be trapped far below ground by criminals and mentally unstable people. They consider Daniel Penny to be not a vigilante but a Good Samaritan.  

(Disclosures: My son Sean has had several subway encounters with mentally ill persons. Daniel Penny, though I didn’t know him, was a constituent of mine for 18 years, and I have contributed to his defense fund.) 

Before this tragic encounter, there had been 27 murders on New York City subways since 2020. This is 35 percent more than the 20 subway murders committed from 2008-2019.  

Almost every day, we read and hear of stabbings, slashings, assaults and serious verbal attacks on innocent subway passengers.  

Jordan Neely suffered from mental illness and the system failed him.  

Where were those who brand Daniel Penny a murderer when city officials were denied the right to forcibly detain violent mental patients? Or when so many of these violent offenders, like Jordan Neely with his more than 40 arrests, were so quickly released back onto the streets?  

Do these accusers of Daniel Penny realize the courage it took to get involved with such a violent individual, not knowing if he possessed a knife or gun, and to try to restrain him so he could not act out his violent rage? Do they really think Penny would not have attempted to subdue and restrain a white person acting similarly?  

Do they consider the man of color who assisted Penny to also be racist? Do they ever wonder if the city would be safer if progressives had not defunded the New York Police Department by $1 billion? 

Obviously, my concern and the concern of so many New Yorkers is that Daniel Penny be judged fairly and not become a victim of mob justice. But an even larger question is what actions will be taken to address mental illness and treat those affected by it, thereby protecting potential victims of the untreated? And the biggest question of all: Will another Good Samaritan come forward after seeing the suffering and abuse being inflicted on Penny?   

This is the serious conversation we should be having — not one featuring rantings and knee-jerk claims of racism, which have become the dominant war cry of the progressive left. America deserves better, as does Daniel Penny. 

Peter King was the U.S. representative of New York’s 2nd and 3rd congressional districts for 28 years, including serving as chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Follow him on Twitter @RepPeteKing.