US marine could face charges after 'hungry and thirsty' New York subway passenger killed in chokehold
4 May 2023, 08:08 | Updated: 4 May 2023, 11:07
A black man was killed on a subway train in New York after being put into a chokehold by a fellow passenger.
The man, named as Jordan Neely, 30, was shouting at people on board the train when fellow passengers tackled him - with one of them restraining him until he went limp.
He died from compression of the neck, officials said.
His death has sparked outrage and angry protests in New York.
The victim was a well-known local figure - who performed Michael Jackson impressions and danced in Times Square.
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On Monday, Mr Neely was shouting and pacing up and down on the train in Manhattan, complaining about being hungry and thirsty.
A freelance journalist who recorded the incident, Juan Alberto Vazquez, told the New York Post that Mr Neely was screaming “in an aggressive manner,” and complaining of hunger and thirst.
Mr Neely did not physically attack anyone, Mr Vazquez said, adding that the Marine veteran approached the man after he threw his jacket to the ground.
He was restrained by several people, including a 24-year-old US Marine veteran who held him in a headlock for several minutes.
Mr Neely lost consciousness during a struggle to get free. Medics were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly afterwards.
The Marine Veteran, who is white, was taken into custody but was released without charges pending further investigation.
His death has been recorded as a chokehold and a homicide according to the city’s medical examiner.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it is investigating the incident.
Mr Neely’s death has sparked an angry response with people describing it as an overreaction to someone who was in a state of mental distress.
Kyle Ishmael, a 38-year-old Harlem resident, said the video of the incident left him feeling “disgusted.”
“I couldn’t believe this was happening on my subway in my city that I grew up in,” he said.
