Video shows former US Marine, 24, putting violent subway passenger in stranglehold before homeless man passed out and died in hospital
- The fight broke out at Broadway-Lafayette station when a man identified as Jordan Neely, 30, entered a subway train and began threatening passengers.
- A former Marine, 24, then placed him in a headlock until he was unconscious
- Neely later died in hospital and the former Marine will not be charged
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW
The gruesome moment when a 24-year-old ex-Marine held an erratic New York subway passenger in a headlock until he died was captured on camera.
The brawl broke out Monday afternoon at Broadway-Lafayette station when a 30-year-old man identified by police New York Post when Jordan Neely entered the subway and began threatening passengers.
Witnesses said he behaved in a “hostile and erratic manner” before the younger man put him in a headlock and held him there until he was unconscious.
The clip showed the younger man holding the Neely to the floor of the subway as he tried to free himself from the head trap, before suddenly going limp.
The Marine was arrested after the fight and Neely was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Marine Corps would not be charged in the incident.
Neely is held in a headlock by the 24-year-old bystander. The two struggled before Neely passed out
A 24-year-old ex-Marine who headlocked an erratic New York subway passenger who later died faces no charges, police say
The incident happened just before 2:30 p.m. on the northbound F train platform at Broadway-Lafayette station in midtown Manhattan.
The 30-year-old boarded the northbound train and reportedly began yelling and throwing garbage at other commuters, leading to an argument with the former Marine, who NY daily news was reported from Queens.
“He started screaming aggressively,” witness Juan Alberto Vazquez told The Post. “He said he had no food or drink, he was tired and he doesn’t care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all those things, took off his coat, a black coat he had, and threw it on the floor.”
The Marine then intervened by holding the other man in a headlock until he was unconscious, police said. When an EMS team boarded the train, which remained on the platform, they were unable to revive him.
Footage from the altercation showed the 24-year-old struggling with the 30-year-old on the floor of the car, while others held the man’s arms and legs as he tried to free himself.
During the fight, people could be heard calling for police on the Subway platform, and eventually the 30-year-old lay still on the ground.
At this point, an onlooker could be heard asking if the man was breathing and saying, “You don’t want to kill him now.”
One of the people who held the man’s arms down replied, “It’s okay, he’s not squeezing it now.”
Police chose not to identify the 24-year-old man, who was released without charge on Tuesday.
According to the Post, Neely was homeless and had mental health problems.
Bystanders tried to nurse Neely after he passed out on the subway floor
In a separate incident in April, the prosecution turned back by saying it would not press charges against a garage guard who shot a suspected thief with his own gun. Pictured is the downtown parking garage on West 31st Street where the shooting took place
The fight took place just before 2:30 p.m. on the northbound F train platform at Broadway-Lafayette station in midtown Manhattan.
The decision not to charge the younger man echoes recent decisions by Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg.
In April, his office reversed its policy by saying it would not press charges against a garage guard who shot a suspected thief with his own gun.
The garage clerk himself was shot twice by the alleged thief before he struggled for the same gun and fired back.
Both were initially charged with attempted murder, assault and firearms before the OM changed its position.
Bragg’s office said at the time it would dismiss the case “pending further investigation.”