A group of veterans and New York Republican officials rallied and held a news conference Wednesday in support of Daniel Penny, who is facing manslaughter charges in connection to the choke hold death of Jordan Neely captured on video aboard a subway train earlier this month.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who noted tens of thousands of Long Islanders travel into Manhattan each day for work and pleasure, slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing prosecution against Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran. Police questioned and released Penny the same day of the May encounter, but a medical examiner later ruled Neely's death a homicide. Prosecutors have said the homeless man with more than 40 prior arrests was making threats toward other passengers.
"First of all, how is it that someone who has 42 arrests is out walking the streets of Manhattan?" Blakeman said at the event, which took place at Manhattan's Collect Pond Park. "We are here for Daniel Penny because he did the right thing. He was a man of courage. He cared about his community. He cared about his fellow subway riders. He cared enough to get involved. And isn't that what we want? Isn't that what we want? To have good people get involved and make us safer?
"The police can't be everywhere all the time. So we have to depend on good people, on people of courage, on good Samaritans. And that's what Daniel Penny was," Blakeman continued. "We're calling on Alvin Bragg to stop this senseless prosecution of a good Samaritan of a United States Marine veteran of someone who cared about his community. Stop it now. Alvin Bragg, you know that as a matter of law, you cannot get a conviction. You do not have probable cause to arrest this man. There is reasonable doubt as a matter of law."
"Just listen to the witnesses," Blakeman asserted, referring to the other subway riders. "I'm here today to lend my support because of my concern for the tens of thousands of Nassau County residents who come into Manhattan every day We need a district attorney in Manhattan that upholds the law and who values law-abiding citizens over criminals."
New York City Council member Vickie Paladino said at the press conference, surrounded by veterans, that Neely was "failed by the system," but demanded a fair trial for Penny.
DANIEL PENNY BREAKS SILENCE OVER JORDAN NEELY DEATH: ‘HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE’
"The situation is certainly a sad one for all involved. It's sad for Mr. Neely, who has been failed by the system that it should have gotten him off the street and gotten him the mental services that he deserved and desperately needed," Paladino said. "It's sad for all New Yorkers who are continuously victimized by those like Mr. Neely. It's sad for Mr. Penny, who took the action to protect the people who were threatened on the train that day."
"Mr. Penny served our country. His instincts were to protect and defend. Those instincts carried over onto the subway that day when he took action, while others stood back and took out their phones and recorded the event," she noted. "Mind you, the people that assisted Mr. Penny were made up of many different races. I stand with Mr. Penny. He does not deserve how he is being treated. This certainly was clearly self-defense and defense of the people that were threatened that day on that subway."
"I pray that Mr. Penny receives a fair trial in a borough of Manhattan where we have an over-politicized DA Alvin Bragg, who puts criminals over law-abiding citizens," Paladino said.
Bragg’s office reportedly has six months to secure an indictment against Penny, who was arraigned on second-degree manslaughter charges and released on $100,000 bail.
Penny was not present for Wednesday’s press conference at the advice of his attorneys due to the pending case against him.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Neely family's attorney for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
