New York City’s medical examiner confirmed on Wednesday evening that the death of a subway rider placed in a chokehold earlier in the week was a homicide.
The man who died, Jordan Neely, was a homeless Michael Jackson impersonator who had been screaming at passengers that he was hungry and wanted to die. That was when the other rider wrapped his arms around Neely’s neck and head and held him until he went limp. Neely died as a result of the chokehold, according to Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
The killing, which occurred on an F train in Manhattan, and the incident has led to investigations by both the police and prosecutors, a spokesman for Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said.
“As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records,” the district attorney’s spokesman said in a statement. “This investigation is being handled by senior, experienced prosecutors and we will provide an update when there is additional public information to share.”
The episode was filmed on a nearly four-minute video that shows other riders helping pin down Neely while others watched. The video has led to a police investigation and spurred a call for an arrest. Governor Kathy Hochul said she needed to review the incident more closely but called the man’s death “deeply disturbing.”
Mayor Eric Adams called the death “tragic,” and added, “there’s a lot we don’t know about what happened here.” He added, “However, we do know that there were serious mental health issues in play here, which is why our administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people off the streets and the subways, and out of dangerous situations.”
The police and prosecutors have to determine what the intentions of the rider were when he grabbed Neely. They also must figure out if the rider was feeling physically threatened and if other passengers had a reason to believe their safety was in jeopardy.
“The D.A.’s office is going to do a painstaking investigation where they are going to interview every witness and look at the video frame by frame,” said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The police questioned the 24-year-old man, and then let him go on Monday night.
