Killing of Jordan Neely

Part of 2020–2023 United States racial unrest
Location of the incident at the Broadway–Lafayette Street station
Date	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)
Time	c. 2:30 p.m. EDT[1]
Location	New York City, New York, U.S.
Type	Homicide by chokehold
Filmed by	Juan Alberto Vázquez
Deaths	Jordan Neely

On May 1, 2023, Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old black man, was killed by an unnamed white Marine veteran while riding the F train on the New York City Subway.^[2]

According to witnesses, Neely was acting in a "hostile and erratic" manner, and yelled that he was hungry and thirsty,^[2] and that he would hurt anyone on this train.^[3] Despite his complaints, Neely did not physically attack anyone.^[4] The killer approached Neely from behind, placing him in minutes-long chokehold until Neely was unconscious.^[5][6] Neely was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead; according to some sources, Neely died on the subway car's floor.^[7] Police questioned the killer, but he was released without charges.^[8]

The incident was recorded on video by a witness, freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vázquez. The death is being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.^[9] On May 3, the medical examiner's office determined the manner of death to be homicide,^[10] stating that Neely died from "compression of the neck".^[9]

Incident

External video
Video of the last three minutes of the chokehold (03:48) on Facebook – taken by freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vázquez

The incident took place on the New York City Subway in Manhattan.^[11] According to freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vázquez, Neely started "to make a speech" while riding a northbound F train, screaming "I don't have food, I don't have a drink, I'm fed up. I don't mind going to jail and getting life in prison. I'm ready to die."^[2][12] He then "took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground."^[13] After Neely threw his jacket down, an unnamed white former Marine walked up to Neely from behind and placed him into a chokehold until Neely went limp.^[14][13] According to some sources, when attempts were made to revive him inside the subway car, Neely was already dead.^[15]

Jordan Neely

Jordan Neely was a 30-year-old African-American man. Neely grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey.^[16] In 2007, when Neely was 14 years old, his mother was murdered by a man with whom she had been in an abusive relationship. Her body was found in a suitcase on the side of the Henry Hudson Parkway. Neely was called to testify at the trial.^[17][18] According to his aunt, he developed depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder after the murder of his mother.^[19] Neely was placed in foster care as a youth.^[16]

Neely was a locally-known Michael Jackson impersonator, performing in Times Square, on subways, and in subway stations.^[16][19][20] Neely struggled with homelessness; he had worked with the Bowery Residents’ Committee to attempt to find permanent shelter.^[16][21] He had 42 previous arrests; most were for minor violations, but four were for alleged assault.^[22][23] At the time of his death, he had a warrant out for his arrest in relation to the alleged assault of a 67-year-old woman in November 2021.^[24]

Public reactions and protests

The incident drew comparisons to the killing of Eric Garner in 2014, an incident which pushed the New York City Police Department to ban officers from placing individuals in chokeholds during arrest.^[25] The Rev. Al Sharpton also compared the case to the Bernhard Goetz case in 1984, stating, "We cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable. It wasn't acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now."^[4]

In a tweet, New York state Sen. Julia Salazar wrote, "A man named Jordan Neely was choked to death in public on the subway this week while people watched and even cheered. This is horrific. The constant demonization of poor people and people in mental health crisis in our city allows for this barbarism. It is making our city sick."^[26] She further labeled the killing as a "lynching."^[27] Gov. Kathy Hochul stated Neely's death was "deeply disturbing."^[28] New York City Comptroller Brad Lander stated that "We must not become a city where a mentally ill human being can be choked to death by a vigilante without consequence."^[29]

Others criticized that Neely's killer had not been criminally charged, claiming that if the assailant had been black, the situation would have unfolded differently. New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams stated, "The initial response by our legal system to this killing is disturbing and puts on display for the world the double standards that black people and other people of color continue to face."^[30]

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. It’s disgusting."^[31] Two days after Neely's killing, a vigil-turned-protest was held inside the Broadway–Lafayette Street station, in which the arrest and charge of the 24-year-old man who choked Neely was demanded.^[32] The protests also spread to the city streets; a protest in front of the Manhattan district attorney's office was held on May 4, 2023.^[33] Several organizations, including Black Lives Matter, NAACP and Amnesty International USA, have called for accountability in Neely's killing.^[34][35] Subsequent protests have been announced for May 5, 2023.^[36]

References