Jordan Neely, NYC subway rider choked to death, is mourned at Manhattan church

NEW YORK – In the polarizing wake of Jordan Neely’s chokehold death at the hands of a fellow New York City subway rider, there has been a “distortion of values,” Rev. Al Sharpton said Friday in eulogizing the former subway performer at his funeral.

Neely, who had been struggling with mental illness and homelessness in recent years, “was screaming for help,” Sharpton told a crowd of relatives, friends and elected officials. They gathered at Harlem’s Mount Neboh Baptist Church to mourn the 30-year-old man, whose May 1 death set off a debate about vigilantism, homelessness and public safety.

People having mental health problems “don’t need abuse,” he said, chastising people including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has spoken out in support of Daniel Penny, the man who put him in the chokehold. The potential Republican presidential candidate has called Penny a “good Samaritan” and shared a fund-raising link for Penny’s legal defense, which has raised more than $2 million.

Sharpton said the Biblical parable of the good Samaritan is about coming to the aid of someone in need.

“A good Samaritan helps those in trouble,” Sharpton said. “They don’t choke him out.”

Sharpton added, “What happened to Jordan was a crime and this family shouldn’t have to stand by themselves.”

Elected officials including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado were among the mourners attending the funeral, held at the same church where Neely’s mother, Christie Neely, was eulogized after she was murdered when Neely was 14.