In his first interview since being acquitted of charges related to the death of Jordan Neely, Daniel Penny said he is "not a confrontational person" and was only concerned with the safety and well-being of his fellow New York City subway passengers when he placed Neely in a chokehold.
In an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, Penny said he did not regret placing Neely in the chokehold in May 2023. Neely, a black homeless man with a history of mental illness, had boarded the train and began threatening the lives of passengers, according to Penny and witnesses.
"Yeah, totally," Penny said when asked if he would do it again knowing everything that he knows now. "I would not be able to live with myself if I didn't do anything in that situation and someone got hurt. I would feel guilty for the rest of my life."
Penny, who is white and a former marine, told Fox that is not in his nature to seek out conflict or attention.
"I'm not a confrontational person. I don't really extend myself. This type of thing is very uncomfortable. All of this attention, in my mind, is very uncomfortable. I didn't want any type of attention or praise, and I still don't," Penny said.
On Monday, a jury acquitted Penny of criminally negligent homicide. A previous charge of manslaughter was dropped by prosecutors after the jury deadlocked.
The case has polarized the country, with some calling Penny a hero for protecting the other subway riders. Others, however, have said the incident was driven by racism and vigilantism.
"You know, obviously, it's pretty nerve-wracking. It was very anxiety-inducing. But, throughout this whole process, I would remind myself of the witnesses coming up to thank me. And really, no matter what outcome the trial had, I only cared about what the witnesses said about the situation," Penny said. "I'll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed."
