Daniel Penny, the former U.S. Marine, who restrained an irate New York City subway passenger with a chokehold, and was acquitted this week of homicide for his death, is JD Vance’s guest at Saturday’s Army-Navy Football game.

Vance announced in an X message on Friday that Penny accepted his invitation for him to attend the game. Donald Trump, President-elect Donald Trump and others will be there.

A Manhattan jury on Monday found Penny not liable for criminally negligent murder in the death Jordan Neely. Prosecutors acknowledged that Neely was agitated, and acted in a threatening way as he boarded a train in uptown on May 1, 2023.

Some people viewed Neely as the victim of a vigilante, despite her being black. Some Republicans, such as Senator Penny, praised Penny for her bravery in protecting other passengers on the train.

Vance wrote, "Daniel is a good man and New York's district attorney for the mob tried to ruin him life because he had a backbone," on X.

Vance continued, "I am grateful that he accepted my invite and I hope he has fun and can appreciate how much the citizens of his city admire his courage."

Penny was not immediately available for comment.

Penny, 26 years old, has stated that he did not intend to kill Neely. Neely is a homeless 30-year-old man who suffers from mental illness. Penny didn't testify in the trial that began in October. He did not comment to the media when he left the courtroom Monday.

Before Monday's acquittal a judge dismissed a more severe charge of manslaughter, in the second-degree, after jurors came out twice on their third day to state that they were divided. (Reporting and editing by Colleen Jensen and Christina Fincher in New York)

(source: Reuters)