Who Is Daniel Penny? Former Marine Accused Of M*rder In Jordan Neely

By James Mercado On May 15, 2023

Daniel Penny, a Marine accused of manslaughter in the chokehold de@th of Jordan Neely in the subway, is allegedly being “railroaded,” furious friends and family claimed to The Washington Post on Saturday.

Family members are outraged that some have dubbed Penny was labeled a “murderer” after an incident that occurred on a New York City subway on May 1 and the premature judgment over Neely’s death.

Penny and the other straphanger’s ki!!ed Neely, a homeless man who was impersonating Michael Jackson. After posting bail in the amount of $100,000, Penny was freed from custody.

“It’s disgusting. Here’s a young man who served our country. What about the other two gentlemen on the subway who were helping him [restrain Neely]? They haven’t even been named,” stated Justine Baldwin, a relative of Penny’s.

In contrast to what his attackers claimed, his friends and family described him as a “calm” and “inclusive” person from a middle-class military family on Long Island.

It has been said that “Danny,” a 24-year-old former high school athlete who enlisted in the Marines after graduation, lives out of a van.

Indeed, he was a “handsome, fun kid who could always be counted on when you needed help,” the cousin mentioned.

Penny and his three sisters lived with their parents in a cramped three-bedroom West Islip house until their parents divorced.

Friends remember the Penny home and The man Danny as being kind daily.

Videos Penny and her friends from back home, Devin Marino and Tyler Varley filmed themselves playing basketball in a suburban street and running through the Nearby Lake Grove has the Smith Haven Mall.

Marino sarcastically remarked to The Post on Saturday, “I knew those videos would pop up one day.”

He claimed he became acquainted with Penny in primary school and remained so throughout high school.

“Danny was always fun and goofy and never harmed anyone,” Says Marino. “He was always super-inclusive.”

Marino recalled spending “the better part of middle school” at the Penny residence.

“His family was really nice and had an open door policy,” Says Marino.

When The Post asked Julia Varley, Tyler’s sister, “He was a great kid. “I’ve known him all my life.”

According to his cousin, Danny appreciated being the only guy in the family of three sisters.

A Twitter page(CBS Evening News) has Tweeted a post-Daniel Penny was accused of the chokehold de@th of Jordan Neely.

Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran accused in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway, appeared in court Friday after he was charged with second degree manslaughter in connection with Neely's death. pic.twitter.com/hjQaWvD6lj

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 12, 2023

“He was always there for his family and his sisters, especially,” Says Baldwin. “Danny has always been calm, he comes from a calm family.”

Penny excelled on the lacrosse field while attending West Islip High School. Her grandpa served in the US Navy, and her uncles were in the Merchant Marines.

According to his attorney, Thomas Kenniff, He was a Marine for four years, deployed twice, and attained sergeant before the present tense receiving an honorable discharge in 2021.

For four years, Danny Penny, his father, and his grandfather all lived next door to Marcia Mulcahy and her husband Pat in West Islip.

“Danny was a nice kid, a lovely kid,” According to Marcia Mulcahy, The Post. “The family could not have been nicer.”

“Just look at the [fundraiser] to see how people feel about him,” On Saturday afternoon, Mulcahy brought up Penny’s GiveSendGo fund for her legal defense, which had already raised almost $1.2 million.

“We’re all contributing to it. He was just trying to help on the subway. It was obviously a scary situation and it all went wrong. But he didn’t go in there trying to hurt anyone. He was trying to help.”

According to neighbors and his account, Penny appeared to be discovering himself in the years after his parent’s divorce and his stint in the military.

In West Babylon, where Penny briefly resided with his father, neighbors claimed It looked like he was making a home out of his van at one point.

One resident, who wished to remain unnamed, stated, “He would set up a bed in there,” and observed that the father and son appeared to have a tense relationship.

Penny posted on Harri, a website for the hospitality sector, where he was looking for a job as a bartender in Manhattan, that he had left college to go backpacking through Central America.

“Growing up here in New York, I have always been inspired by the ambition and grit,” he explained.

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“After high school and unsure of my future, I enlisted in the Marine Corps in search of adventure, While serving as squad leader on two deployment, I began to realize what I was passionate about.”

His decision to drop out of college was “inspired by the novel Don Quixote,” he explained.

“Don Quixote so inspired by adventure, he leaves his ‘normal’ life to pursue his dreams despite being called a madman. During the travels I rediscovered my love for interacting and connecting with people,” he continued.

“Being able to serve and connect with the most interesting and eccentric the world has to offer, is what I believe I am meant to do.”

The direction Penny’s life has taken has startled people the know him as a child.

When Penny won MVP honors in Uniondale’s yearly Dan Daly Cup contest, named after Barbara Harcourt’s uncle, the two women first met.

She exclaimed, “Oh my, good Lord,” upon learning that a key player in the political controversy surrounding De@th for Neely was the same child she had assisted in identifying.

“I’m going to pray for him.”