WATCH: Daniel Penny Celebrates Not-Guilty Verdict In New York Bar

Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran whose manslaughter trial garnered nationwide attention, was spotted celebrating his acquittal in New York City on Monday. Penny and his defense team visited multiple Manhattan bars after a jury found him not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a case that created a heated debate across the country.

Hours after the verdict was announced, Penny, 26, joined his attorneys, Thomas Kenniff and Steven Raiser, for drinks at Stone Street Tavern in the Financial District. The group was later seen at American Whiskey, a Midtown bar popular among professionals and sports fans. Penny, a Long Island native, smiled as he sipped his beer, a visible display of relief after a trial that could have sent him to prison for up to four years.

In a video recorded by the New York Post, Penny and his lawyers revealed their satisfaction with the outcome. When asked how he felt, Penny gave a brief but telling response. “Yeah, great,” Penny said smiling, while his attorney Thomas Kenniff elaborated, “He’s feeling good, he’s feeling good, he’s feeling good.”

Kenniff added that Penny had finally received the justice he deserved. “This should have happened probably on day one,” Kenniff said. “We can’t control the timing of it, but we’re excited to be here. We’re excited to savor the outcome.”

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“He’s not guilty for a few different reasons,” Penny’s other attorney, Steven Raiser, explained. “His actions were justified—he was trying to help people on that train, and he did. And number two, he’s not responsible for the death.”

Raiser cited Neely’s “K2 abuse, sickle cell sickling crisis, and cardiac injuries,” along with his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. “The jury was able to truly evaluate those factors as a potential cause of death and recognize that Danny was justified in the actions he took.”

The case stemmed from an incident aboard a New York City subway in May, when Penny placed Neely in a chokehold after Neely began behaving erratically and reportedly threatening passengers. Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a history of mental illness, later died, and the city medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by neck compression.

Daniel Penny definitely earned that beer pic.twitter.com/24pPZChuJ7

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 9, 2024

Penny was charged with criminally negligent homicide, a decision that drew large amounts of criticism from those who believed his actions were justified. For Penny, the not-guilty verdict marked the end of a chapter that could have changed the course of his life.

After five days of deliberations, the jury reached a stalemate on the more serious manslaughter charge on Friday, prompting the judge to dismiss it.

Throughout the trial, Penny’s defense attorneys argued that he acted to protect himself and others on the train. Penny, who served as a Marine infantryman before returning to civilian life, had maintained that he acted out of a duty to protect fellow passengers. His defense struck a chord with those who saw him as a Good Samaritan caught in an unfortunate situation.

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