Dangerous homeless man choked to death by veteran Marine on NYC subway

The fellow passenger, a 24-year-old former Marine whose name has not yet been disclosed, was taken into custody following the altercation, but ultimately released, pending the results of an autopsy.

According to the New York Post, Neely was traveling on a northbound F train Monday afternoon when he became aggressive and started ranting to other passengers.

Juan Alberto Vazquez, a journalist who witnessed the incident, said Neely was "screaming in an aggressive manner" about having "no food" and "no drink" before stating that "he was tired and doesn't care if he goes to jail."

Vasquez explained that it was only when Neely took off his jacket and threw it on the ground that the fellow passenger got invovled, putting the homeless man into a chokehold and restraining him on the floor of the train.

The man had his arm wrapped around Neely's neck for a solid fifteen minutes before the train stopped at Broadway-Lafayette Street/Bleeker Street station and while an emergency medical team tried to revive him, their efforts were unsuccessful.

Vasquez said he was shocked that Neely had passed away, saying, "None of us who were there thought he was in danger of dying." He questioned whether the man had been correct in his use of the chokehold, pointing out that Neely had not physically attacked anyone.

That debate soon spilled out onto social media.

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander decried the use of force, saying, "NYC is not Gotham. We must not become a city where a mentally ill human being can be choked to death by a vigilante without consequence."

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, on the other hand, argued that people have the right to defend themselves, slamming Lander for failing to ensure that there were enough police officers on the subway.