Vice President-elect JD Vance invited Daniel Penny, a military veteran who was acquitted of homicide this week after choking a New York subway rider, to the Army-Navy game on Saturday.
Vance said he’s “grateful” that Penny accepted his invitation, calling the Marine veteran a “good guy.” President-elect Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will reportedly attend the game in Landover, Maryland.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
Penny’s charges stemmed from the May 2023 death of Black homeless man Jordan Neely on the New York City subway. He was facing charges of second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide.
He was accused of choking and killing Neely, a locally known Michael Jackson impersonator who was allegedly threatening people on the subway. Neely was allegedly yelling at other subway passengers about being hungry when Penny approached him from behind and placed him in a chokehold. Neely was pronounced dead at a hospital, with his death being ruled a homicide by compression of the neck.
The case was divisive. Some agreed with his defense that Neely’s behavior posed a threat, saying Penny acted to protect his fellow passengers. Others, however, argued that Neely had not physically attacked anyone and that Penny should not have held him in a chokehold.
A New York City jury acquitted Penny on Monday after more than four days of deliberations.
“I’m not a confrontational person. I don’t really extend myself, but this kind of thing is very uncomfortable,” Penny told Fox News on Tuesday. “I didn’t want any type of attention or praise, and I still don’t.”
Vance, who served in the Marine Corps, said that “justice was done in this case” and that Penny should have never been prosecuted.
The vice president-elect’s post about inviting Penny to the football game was met with much support on X, with people replying, “This is the way,” and that it was an “awesome” move on Vance’s part.
Penny’s acquittal, however, sparked mixed reactions.
Representative Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania Democrat, wrote on X: “The acquittal of Daniel Penny in the murder of Jordan Neely is a painful reminder of a long-standing reality: vigilante violence against Black people often goes unchecked. Jordan deserved compassion, not violence. We stand with his loved ones in demanding accountability.”
Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, said Penny “never should have been charged.”
Members of New York’s Black Lives Matter chapter rebuked the jury and judge assigned to Penny’s trial and said before the verdict that “white supremacy got another victory.”
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