A women who witnessed the altercation between former Marine Daniel Penny and homeless man Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train praised Penny in an interview with Fox News.
The unidentified woman in her 60’s describes herself as a “woman of color” and called Penny a “hero,” according to Fox News. She believes Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should not have charged Penny for his actions towards Neely.
The woman told Fox News she another other passengers became uncomfortable when Neely began spewing violent and threatening rhetoric.
“I’m sitting on a train reading my book, and, all of a sudden, I hear someone spewing this rhetoric. He said, ‘I don’t care if I have to kill an F, I will. I’ll go to jail, I’ll take a bullet,’” the woman said to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘How Is That Not A Crime?’: Joy Reid Blames Subway Passengers For Not Helping Jordan Neely)
She says passengers began to move towards the train’s doors to escape Neely and she feared for her life, according to Fox News.
“I’m looking at where we are in the tube, in the sardine can, and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re in between stations. There’s nowhere we can go,’” she told Fox News. “The people on that train, we were scared. We were scared for our lives.”
The woman recalled Penny intervened when Neely’s rhetoric escalated to include words such as “kill” and “bullet.” The witness also alleges Penny confronted Neely at the last moment.
BREAKING: Daniel Penny is on his way to court in handcuffs after being arrested on a second degree manslaughter charge.
If you serve your country and try to be a Good Samaritan, the left will side with a violent crackhead who was arrested 40+ times any day of the week.
Penny is… pic.twitter.com/Gj6guO9qxq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 12, 2023
She argued Penny’s actions were “self defense” and reflective of someone who “cared for people,” according to Fox News. She said she and 3 other passengers thanked Penny after the incident.
“You should have seen the way Mr. Penny looked. He was distraught. He was very, very, very visibly distressed. And he didn’t go. He didn’t run. He stayed,” the woman said to Fox News.
The woman dismissed the notion that Penny’s actions were caused by racial animus rather than a legitimate desire to protect others.
“This isn’t about race. This is about people of all colors who were very, very afraid and a man who stepped in to help them,” she said to Fox News, “Race is being used to divide us.”
She criticized politicians such as Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who called Penny a murderer. “There was AOC saying that this gentleman was lynched. Why would she do that? She’s supposed to be for all people,” the woman said to Fox News.
The witness said she sympathized with Neely because of his difficult circumstances. Neely was reportedly arrested over 40 times and apparently suffered from chronic mental health issues after his mother was killed when he was a teenager, according to the New York Post.
Neely’s death sparked protests in New York City from activists who believe Daniel Penny’s actions were racially motivated. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Penny with second-degree manslaughter for the incident following days of outrage. A legal defense fund for the Daniel Penny has raised over $2 million after conservatives came to his defense.