Daniel Penny Trial Day 3: 911 call played in court as witnesses describe tense moments

Daniel Penny Trial: 911 call played in court

In Day 3 of Daniel Penny’s manslaughter trial, jurors heard a 911 call from a subway passenger describing the tense moments before Penny allegedly put Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a crowded NYC subway train. FOX 5's Richard Giacovas has the story.

NEW YORK - On the third day of testimony in the manslaughter trial of former Marine Daniel Penny, jurors heard a 911 call and accounts from witnesses who were on the uptown F train when Penny allegedly placed Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold.

Penny has been accused of manslaughter in the May 2023 death of Neely, a homeless man who witnesses say was behaving erratically on the subway.

"There’s a guy on the train saying that he was going to jail and was going to harm people on the train," 18-year-old passenger Moriela Sanchez said in the 911 call. "Y’all have to come quick because something is going to happen."

Attorneys for Daniel Penny join GDNY

Jury selection is expected to begin in the criminal trial of Daniel Penny, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran accused of placing homeless man Jordan Neely in a deadly chokehold last year on a NYC subway train. Penny’s attorneys, Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff, joined Good Day New York on Monday morning.

Sanchez testified that she initially felt a sense of relief when Penny intervened, but that she felt that Penny was holding him too tight and that it seemed to her like Penny was trying to hurt Neely.

Other witnesses included a 38-year-old Brooklyn woman who said that Neely's rants were "very traumatic and very believable."

Another passenger, Johnny Grima, testified that he tried to intervene, telling Penny to "roll him over on his side so he don’t choke."

Funeral services held for Jordan Neely

Mourners gathered at a Harlem church at the funeral of Jordan Neely, the man whose chokehold death on the New York City subway set off a debate about vigilantism, homelessness and public safety.

Penny's attorneys argue that he acted in defense of the other subway riders, asserting that his actions were not intended to cause harm to Neely.

If convicted, Penny could face up to 15 years in prison.