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NY Post
New York Post
15 May 2023


NextImg:Legal fund for accused NYC subway choker Daniel Penny tops $2M — with Kid Rock chipping in

The defense fund for accused Manhattan subway choker Daniel Penny surpassed $2 million on Monday — including a $5,000 contribution from controversial rocker Kid Rock.

The campaign on GiveSendGo stood at more than $2.1 million on Monday afternoon, with other generous donations coming from political commentator Tim Pool, who chipped in $20,000, and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who donated $10,000, according to the site.

“Mr. Penny is a hero,” Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, wrote on the site. “[Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg is a POS — Kid Rock.”

Penny, 24, has reeled in donations from nearly 45,000 supporters on the fundraising site as he prepares to fight a second-degree manslaughter charge in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a history of mental illness.

“The importance of this support has gone beyond the dollar amount raised and has come to symbolize a statement of support for the right and duty to stand up for each other when faced with an imminent threat,” Penny’s attorney, Steven M. Raiser, told The Post on Monday.

Penny, who surrendered last week, is free on a $100,000 bail pending a return court appearance in July.

Daniel Penny, 24, at right, was charged with second-degree manslaughter after viral video showed him choking homeless vagrant Jordan Neely to death on a Manhattan F train. His legal defense fund has now surpassed $2 million.
via REUTERS
Controversial rocker Kid Rock.
Controversial rocker Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, chipped in $5,000 for the legal defense fund of accused subway choker Daniel Penny, 24. Ritchie called Penn “a hero” on the online fundraising site.
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The former US Marine was seen on viral video grabbing Neely in a chokehold on an F train in lower Manhattan. The homeless man eventually stops moving and is left lying on the floor of the train while Penny and others look on, in the footage.

According to witnesses, Neely became disruptive when he boarded the train, prompting other straphangers to move away from him before Penny grabbed him from behind. Penny was questioned by cops and initially released without charges.

The city’s medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide, caused by “compression of neck (chokehold).”

The incident galvanized the city, with protestors staging several demonstrations in the Big Apple demanding Penny’s arrest.

Daniel Penny charged with manslaughter.
Daniel Penny, 24, a US Marine, was charged with second-degree manslaughter last week in the May 1 choking death of Jordann Neely on a Manhattan F train. Penny, who is free on a $100,000 bond, has raised $2 million for his defense.
Paul Martinka
Choking victim Joran Neely, 30.
Jordan Neely, 30, was a former Michael Jackson impersonator with a history of mental illness. He was killed on May 1 after US Marine Daniel Penny grabbed him in a chokehold on a Manhattan F train, leaving him dead on the floor.
Provided by Carolyn Neely

Lawyers for Neely’s family have maintained that Penny should face a more serious murder charge.

Funds raised by the GiveSendGo campaign will go to Penny’s defense team at Raiser & Kenniff, according to the page, which was set up by the attorneys.

Any additional money will be donated to a mental health advocacy program in New York City, the page says.