Daniel Penny, the ex-Marine charged with manslaughter in the subway chokehold death of homeless Jordan Neely, believes the now-deceased man "would have killed somebody" had he not stepped in.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, 24-year-old Penny said he felt he needed to take action when 30-year-old Neely – who had mental health problems – began behaving erratically on an F train in Lower Manhattan on May 1.
"If he had carried out his threats, he would have killed somebody," Penny told the outlet of the troubled street performer.
Penny, who is originally from Long Island, cited Elie Wiesel - the late civil rights activist - and Holocaust survivor, as an inspiration.
Wiesel had spoken to Penny's high school class after they read Night, the Romanian-born author's autobiography based on his experiences as a Jewish person in Nazi concentration camps.
"One of the overall messages that he talked about was that good people did nothing," Penny told Fox. "It’s a lesson that I carry with me to this day."
Penny, who previously served as an infantry squad leader, also made reference to Neely's supposed threats.
According to witnesses, he said he was not afraid of going to jail or "taking a bullet".
"Between stops, you’re trapped on the train, and there’s nowhere to go," Penny told Fox.
"You can try to move away, but you can only do so much on a packed car," he continued. "I was scared. I looked around, and I saw older women and children, and they were terrified."
Penny said he hasn't traveled by train since Neely died.
His lawyers, of the Manhattan law firm Raiser & Kenniff, have said their client acted in self-defense. He was concerned for his safety, they insist, and only stepped in "to protect himself and his fellow New Yorkers."
A journalist who was on the subway at the time of the fatal incident had been recording it and the resulting footage caused an outcry.
Neely's death was ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner, who found that he died from "compression of the neck."
Penny has since been charged with second-degree manslaughter by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. He faces 15 years in prison if found guilty.
Penny surrendered to cops on May 12. He described his arrest as having been difficult.
"It was a little bit humiliating, I would say, but, I mean, it is what it is," Penny told Fox. "That’s how things are playing out."
