Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, will be Vice President-elect JD Vance’s personal guest at the Army-Navy game on Saturday, a source familiar with the matter told NOTUS.
The two will be in President-elect Donald Trump’s suite at the Washington Commanders stadium in Maryland.
Penny, a former Marine, was acquitted on Monday of criminally negligent homicide in a case that sparked nationwide attention.
“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 in response to a NOTUS reporter. “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.”
Prosecutors alleged that Penny caused Neely, a homeless man, to die after putting him in a chokehold on a subway in May 2023.
Neely reportedly had a history of mental illness and was shouting and acting erratically toward people on the train. Penny and his defense team said he acted in self-defense of himself and others when he subdued Neely.
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Reese Gorman is a reporter at NOTUS.