The Controversial Subway Strangulation Death of Jordan Neely: What You Need to Know

NEW YORK — The subway strangulation death of Jordan Neely in Manhattan last week has fueled national controversy, and Mayor Eric Adams, who had been accused by some of not speaking out enough, has formally addressed it publicly. .

The Democrat, who responded to a handful of questions about Neely’s death immediately afterward, made his position clear in his less than 15-minute speech Wednesday, saying the 30-year-old did not deserve to die. Adams acknowledged Neely’s history of mental illness, which he had made public, and the racial factor, which he had not.

“One of our own is dead,” Adams said, empathizing with the emotional intensity that swept through the city over the case. “A black man, black like me, a man named Jordan, the name I gave my son, a New Yorker who battled tragedy, trauma and mental illness, a man whose last words were to ask for help, a man named Jordan Neley.”

Neely, 30, died on the floor of an F train car after he was strangled to death at the Broadway-Lafayette station on May 1. It was mid afternoon. New York police questioned Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old former Marine seen on video with his hands around Neely’s neck, in the hours afterward, then released him without charge.

The next day, the medical examiner’s office ruled the case a homicide, sparking a firestorm around Penny, who was declared a murderer by some who had hailed him a Good Samaritan for his actions less than 24 hours earlier. .

While Adams said Neely’s death “devastated her family and shocked her fellow New Yorkers,” she seemed careful not to wade too far into the divisive discourse that resulted. The investigation is ongoing.

“While we have no control over that process, one thing we can control is how our city responds to this tragedy,” the mayor said. “One thing we can say for sure is ‘Jordan Neely didn’t deserve to die.’ And all of us must work together to do more to help our brothers and sisters battling serious mental illness.”

“There were many people who tried to help Jordan get the support he needed, but the tragic reality of severe mental illness is that some who suffer from it are sometimes unaware of their own need for care,” Adams continued. “And all too often, they get caught up in this cycle of violence, sometimes as perpetrators, or far more often as victims, and in many cases, through no fault of their own, resist treatment, walk away from an opportunity for recovery. and disappear into the shadows.”

Indeed. Neely’s arrest record, a lengthy rap sheet with charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct and assault, including within the city’s transit system, has drawn criticism from people who believe Penny was justified in use the maneuver. They say it was done to subdue a man they claim posed a potential threat to the public.

Witnesses and sources had alleged that Neely was acting aggressively on the train up to that point. The bikers allegedly said that Neely was hungry, thirsty and that he didn’t mind going to jail. They also said that he did not physically attack anyone before they choked him. Penny’s legal team claims it may be due to the actions of her client, citing Neely’s record. Her lawyers also said late last week that she never intended for Neely to die and that she could not have foreseen it.

Neely’s family called that a “guilty admission” and said the system failed her.

A new battle plan for mental illness

Adams agreed Wednesday that the system must change.

“It’s the nature of this cruel illness, and it breaks our hearts every time,” Adams said of mental illness. “We cannot and will not accept this state of affairs. We will not overlook those who are suffering or ignore calls for help. We will respond with care, compassion and action. We can and must do everything we can to help.”

In earlier comments, Adams had said the incident underscores what he says is the need to get people with mental illness out of the transit system, a push that began with his fellow Democrat, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the early days of its administration. He referred to those early efforts and conversations again on Wednesday, saying it was “time to build a new consensus on what can and should be done for those living with severe mental illness.”

“Our vision is to create a better system that goes beyond one incident or one tragedy,” Adams explained.

He said the renewed focus must be on “continuous care that keeps people connected to the support they need to stay well” and doing what can be done to help people before they go into crisis, as he says he did. Neely. Speaking about Neely’s life before Monday’s incident, Adams said she had interacted with many city agencies and community organizations and providers. She also acknowledged his encounters with the criminal justice system and said the young man received services designed to help him live safely in the community.

“Those efforts weren’t enough,” Adams said. “And we must find ways to strengthen our system.”

The mayor vowed to bring together the leaders of five organizations the city contracts with to help the homeless for a summit next week on how to improve outcomes for people with severe mental illness. He promised to develop an action plan, one that he says will also ensure accountability when opportunities to help people in crisis are missed.

The Democrat is also expected to meet with religious leaders on the matter later on Wednesday.

What happens next?

Adams’ comments came a day after the White House released its first statement on the case ahead of the president’s fundraising trip to New York. A Biden spokesperson called Neely’s death “tragic and deeply disturbing.”

The Manhattan district attorney’s office has said it is investigating the case. Two sources familiar with the matter say Alvin Bragg won’t make a decision on whether or when he will protest a possible case until later this week. Meanwhile, dozens have been arrested in seemingly escalating protests as the city awaits his decision.

A Molotov cocktail was seized at the Monday night protest, the latest in a series of demonstrations that disrupted public transport over the weekend. In affirming the right to peaceful protest, top NYPD officials issued a stern warning.

“We understand why people want to speak up and protest. And we support giving people the right to speak up when they think injustice is happening. But we can’t allow people to go out and protest bringing dangerous substances like this,” Maddrey said of the firebomb “We really ask our communities, or people who want to come out and speak up, not to engage in that kind of behavior. They could hurt themselves. They can hurt members of the department, co-protesters and innocent people. And it’s really going to defeat the purpose.”

That weapon, in particular, evoked memories of the summer 2020 George Floyd protests in which flaming bottles were thrown through the windows of NYPD squad cars, hundreds were arrested, and dozens of NYPD officers were arrested. York cited for misconduct.

Adams seemed to suggest that any unrest was the fault of the protesters, pointing a finger at “rioters from outside our city, which was the case, authorities said, in the summer of 2020 after Floyd’s death.”