At least seven people were arrested in Manhattan Saturday after shutting down subway service and clashing with NYPD officers while protesting the chokehold death of homeless man Jordan Neely, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Dozens of demonstrators jumped onto the subway tracks at Lexington Avenue and East 63rd Street around 6:15 p.m., forcing an oncoming Q train to slam on the brakes at the mouth of the tunnel, video shows.
“No justice, no peace!” the protesters chanted as police can be heard struggling to call for order in the background.
The risky move caused the power to temporarily shut off in the Lenox Hill station.
After several minutes, the police were able to get the protesters off the tracks, allowing the train to roll into the station, but demonstrators were determined to continue blocking transit service.
The group was calling for justice in the case of Neely’s Monday homicide.
He was held in a fatal chokehold by 24-year-old marine Daniel Penny after yelling at subway riders and throwing trash.
Penny — who has since acquired a legal team who claims he “never intended to harm” the homeless man — has not been charged with the crime, despite the medical examiner’s ruling that Neely was choked to death.
Another video filmed by journalist Rebecca Brannan shows several protestors barricading the car’s open doorway so that commuters were forced to stay inside.
A frustrated straphanger begged officers to help remove the demonstrators so he could get off the train while the protestors verbally berated the man.
They shouted “find another train” and “you not getting off this train sir” at him, while offering him advice for other routes he could take.
Chaos erupted once police began evacuating the station.
Several protestors became aggressive and began pushing against officers, which ignited a small mosh of people rushing toward the brawls.
What we know about NYC subway choking victim Jordan Neely
Who is Neely?
Jordan Neely, 30, a homeless man, was strangled aboard a northbound F train just before 2:30 p.m. on May 1, according to police.
He reportedly started acting erratically on the train and harassing other passengers before being restrained and ultimately choked by a straphanger, identified as a 24-year-old Marine from Queens.
The Marine, who was seen on video applying the chokehold, was taken into custody and later released but the DA is mulling charges, which could include involuntary manslaughter, according to experts.
Why is there fallout over Neely’s death?
The city medical examiner ruled Neely’s death a homicide, noting he died due to “compression of neck (chokehold).” This will be weighed during the investigation into whether charges will be brought for Neely’s death.
Neely’s aunt told The Post that he became a “complete mess” following the brutal murder of his mother in 2007. She noted he was schizophrenic while suffering from PTSD and depression.
“The whole system just failed him. He fell through the cracks of the system,” Carolyn Neely said.
Law enforcement sources said Neely had “numerous” arrests on his record, including for drugs, disorderly conduct, and fare beating.
At the time of his death, Neely had a warrant out for his arrest for a November 2021 case in which he was accused of assaulting a 67-year-old woman in the East Village, the sources said.
Mayor Eric Adams has said it’s important for the DA to complete the investigation into Neely’s death and not rush to conclusions.
The NYPD tackled several protestors to the ground to execute arrests.
The violent clashes resumed on the street level when protestors blocked the roadway intersection.
One protestor told arresting officers “I can’t breathe,” a nod to the violent murder of Eric Garner at the hands of arresting NYPD officers in 2014.
The man was taken away in cuffs.
Sources told The Post at least seven people were taken into custody, though the number could continue to grow.
