Source: Sinisa Kukic / Getty
A Black man who was alleged to have berated riders on a New York City subway train was killed due to a chokehold by a white passenger.
As NewsOne reports, Jordan Neely was on a northbound F train Monday afternoon (May 1). A witness claimed that Neely was yelling at other passengers on the train. “He started screaming in an aggressive manner,” said witness Juan Alberto Vazquez. “He said he had no food, he had no drink, that he was tired and doesn’t care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all these things, took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground.” At that point, an unidentified white straphanger comes up behind Neely, places him in a chokehold and takes him down to the ground.
After a reported duration of 15 minutes, Neely stopped moving & lost consciousness. Video footage apparently shows someone expressing concern for Neely’s well-being off-camera. The 24-year-old and another man who joined in to hold Neely down let go of him, leaving him lying on his side.
Neely was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital by police where he was pronounced dead. New York Police Department representatives have revealed that the 24-year-old is a former enlisted Marine but have not revealed his name. He was arrested at the scene but released ultimately without being criminally charged. They also stated to members of the press that Neely was a recidivist with 44 prior arrests for assault and fare evasion.
The incident has angered many who got wind of the news on social media, noting how the 24-year-old vigilante wouldn’t have gotten to go free if he was Black and the victim was white. Some pointed out the free use of the term “vagrant” by publications to describe Neely. Others, like journalist Soledad O’Brien, noted how outlets like the New York Times used passive language. “Okaaaay young journos: let’s talk about the passive voice from @nytimes this fine morning. The guy “died”? Or was killed?” she wrote.
Police claim that an investigation into the exact circumstances of Neely’s death is ongoing, expressing that they are waiting on the autopsy results. Subway crime has been a heated topic of discussion, with NYPD officials boasting that it has dropped about 6 percent since the beginning of the year.
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