Jordan Neely’s chokehold death on NYC subway denounced by politicians as protesters demand justice

Politicians and lawmakers are demanding accountability after a 24-year-old New York City subway rider was seen on video putting a homeless man in a fatal chokehold, and protesters are gearing up for another round of demonstrations Thursday.

Jordan Neely was a 30-year-old subway busker who performed dance routines in costume as Michael Jackson and was struggling with mental illness. He was homeless when he was killed Monday following an altercation on a northbound F train, police said. 

“Jordan Neely was a New Yorker, a son, and a performer, and he should still be alive,” New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement Wednesday.

Adams, a Democrat, said Neely’s death is another reminder of how far Black people “remain from an equitable and just society.”

New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat, said that the incident should not have ended in Neely’s death and highlights the ongoing struggle of how to combat mental illness and violence on New York City subways.

“Mr. Neely’s death reveals the shortcomings of our approach in both areas and should be a moment of great anguish for this city, not a time for equivocation or tacit approval of vigilantism,” he said in a statement Thursday. “I stand ready to work with my partners in government towards healing and solutions during this time of great pain for Mr. Neely’s family and everyday New Yorkers.”

Neely said he was hungry and thirsty

Officers responded to the Broadway and East Houston Street subway station around 2:27 p.m. on Monday after receiving a 911 call about a physical fight, a spokesperson said.

“Further investigation revealed the 30-year-old was involved in a verbal dispute with the 24-year-old male and it escalated into a physical altercation,” the spokesperson said. “During the physical struggle between the two males, the 30-year-old male lost consciousness.”

Cell phone video taken by passenger Juan Alberto Vazquez showed the 24-year-old man on the ground with his arm around Neely’s neck. Two other subway riders are seen in the video appearing to help restrain Neely, who is Black.

Vazquez told NBC New York that Neely got on the train and “began to say a somewhat aggressive speech, saying he was hungry, he was thirsty, that he didn’t care about anything, he didn’t care about going to jail, he didn’t care that he gets a big life sentence.”

Vazquez said Neely was held in the chokehold position for about 15 minutes.

Neely was unconscious when police arrived and pronounced dead at a hospital. The manner of death was homicide, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said, and the cause was due to “compression of neck (chokehold).”

‘He deserved help, not a death sentence’

Adams said Neely’s death and the responses to it have been “difficult to absorb.”

“Racism that continues to permeate throughout our society allows for a level of dehumanization that denies Black people from being recognized as victims when subjected to acts of violence,” she said in her statement.”The perceptions of Black people have long been interpreted through a distorted, racialized lens that aims to justify violence against us.”

New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democratic, said that police were banned from using the chokehold, therefore “there’s no excuse for a civilian to use such a deadly maneuver, especially on someone experiencing a mental health crisis.”

“While we don’t know all the facts, we know this: Jordan Neely should still be alive,” he said in a statement. “I trust the @ManhattanDA Bragg will use his best judgment in pursuing justice for Jordan and his family.”

Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, a Democrat, tweeted Thursday: “Jordan Neely was simply asking for food and water when his life was brutally taken. No one should lose their life because they’re experiencing a mental health crisis. He deserved help, not a death sentence.”

No charges have been filed, but case remains under investigation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters that the video was “horrific” and the subway riders’ response to Neely was “very extreme,” while Mayor Eric Adams said he will let the district attorney’s investigation play out.

“There are many layers to this, I’m gonna let the process follow its course and so I won’t get engaged with comparisons on where we are, where we aren’t. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to let the investigation run its course,” he said.

The 24-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, was taken into custody Monday and questioned by police but was later released. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will review the medical examiner’s report, review footage and conduct interviews before making a decision.

Rep. Summer Lee, the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, said she believes he was released “because dehumanizing & hating poor folks has been normalized.”

“There MUST be accountability,” the Democratic congresswoman tweeted Wednesday.

In a series of tweets, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat whose district is in the Bronx, said it was “disgusting” that charges have not been filed and questioned why officials have not condemned Neely’s death.

“Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?” she tweeted Thursday.

She went on to discuss the challenges faced by many people who have been incarcerated or struggle with mental illness. There have been reports that Neely had an extensive criminal history.

“Neely’s last words were literally about how going to jail was easier than accessing the social safety net support to get back on his feet and lead a life,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard from both COs and the incarcerated that there are people who commit petty crimes because their easiest way to get a bed and doctor. For many vulnerable communities — especially the mentally ill — we make living in jail easier than living out of it,” she added.

Protesters gather at NYC subway station

Residents convened at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station on Wednesday, holding signs and chanting “Black lives matter” and “the homeless matter,” according to Gothamist.

Harlem resident Kyle Ishmael, 38, told NBC New York that he felt “disgusted” after watching the video of the incident.

“I couldn’t believe this was happening on my subway in my city that I grew up in,” he said.

More demonstrations were planned for Thursday and Friday across the city.