NEW YORK—On May 1, Daniel Penny, 24, a Marine Corps Iraq war veteran was arrested for the death of Jordan Neely, 30, who was a known Michael Jackson impersonator who was reportedly homeless at the time of his death.

Both Penny and Neely were riding a subway car in New York when Neely became violent and was threatening to hurt passengers. Several 911 calls were received by individuals reporting that Neely was going to hurt someone or himself. Footage was captured of the incident, where Penny paced Neely in choke hold and he later died.

New York Mayor Eric Adams gave a speech saying, the death of Jordan Neely at the hands of a fellow subway driver, “never should have happened.”

Black Lives Matter activists were demanding the arrest of Penny as protests were held with signs that read: “Justice for Jordan Neely.”

According to reports, Neely suffered from PTSD due to witnessing the murder of his mother by his stepfather. Neely also lived with schizophrenia and was known to have violent outbursts.

The New York Police Department records indicate Neely had been arrested 42 times and a majority of the arrests were for minor violations. Two were for attacking women on a New York subway.

“In 2015 Jordan Neely attempted to kidnap a 7-year-old girl. In 2019, he punched a 64-year-old man in the face. In 2021, he punched a 67-year-old woman in the face, and broke her nose,” reported Fox News pundit Greg Gutfeld. “When he was on that train, there was a good chance he was high on K2, a potent form of synthetic marijuana which is known to have psychoactive effects. According to an uncle, he (Neely) got into K2 and drugs to help heal himself.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), these products [K2] are being abused for their psychoactive properties and are known by the following street names; Spice, K2, RedX Dawn, Paradise, Demon, Black Magic, Spike, Mr. Nice Guy, Ninja, Zohai, Dream Genie, Sence, Smoke, Skunk, Serenity, Yucatan, Fire, Skooby Snax, and Crazy Clown.

Penny has been charged with manslaughter and released on a $100,000 bond. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years of prison time. Canyon News reached out to NYPD for more information but did not hear back before print.