Daniel Penny, a former U.S. Marine sergeant found not guilty this week in the death of a homeless man on a New York City subway car in 2023, will attend Saturday's Army-Navy game as a guest of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
"Daniel's a good guy, and New York's mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone. I'm grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he's able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage," Vance, also a former Marine, wrote in a post on X.
Penny will join Vance in President-elect Donald Trump's suite. Navy veteran and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is also expected to join Trump at the game, along with Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, among others.
A jury found Penny not guilty in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with a history of mental illness and a lengthy arrest record who was threatening subway riders on May 1, 2023. Penny intervened, putting Neely in a chokehold to restrain him. Neely later died.
Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Penny with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The more serious manslaughter charge was dropped last week.
Retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano called Penny a "hero."
"I'm happy with the outcome of the criminal case as well. He can't go to jail, and he shouldn't go to jail. And he's a hero in New York City, obviously not to everybody, but to a lot of us," Napolitano told Newsmax on Monday.