Daniel Penny Celebrates ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict At Local NYC Bar

Daniel Penny and his legal team were seen celebrating in Manhattan on Monday night after his acquittal in a widely watched manslaughter trial.

The 26-year-old Marine veteran joined his defense attorneys, Thomas Kenniff and Steven Raiser, at Stone Street Tavern in the Financial District, where he was seen enjoying a beer shortly after a jury cleared him of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely. Later in the evening, the group continued their celebration at the American Whiskey bar in Midtown, according to the New York Post.

Penny, a native of Long Island, had been facing up to four years in prison if convicted. When asked about his feelings following the verdict, a visibly relieved Penny, flanked by security personnel, simply responded, “Great,” while his attorneys shielded him from reporters, the Post added.

Kenniff shared that Penny is focused on moving forward with his life. “He’ll be looking to resume, get his life back together,” Kenniff said. “A situation like this—yes, we savor the victory, but all the harm that has been done to him doesn’t just disappear. That’s true of anyone who is falsely accused.”

After five days of deliberation, the jury ultimately found that Penny was not criminally liable for the death of Jordan Neely, who he allegedly restrained in a chokehold during a crowded subway altercation in May 2023.

The jury had initially deadlocked on Friday, prompting prosecutors to drop the manslaughter charge—the most severe accusation against Penny—and direct the jury to deliberate further on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.

Kenniff expressed confidence in the outcome despite the prolonged deliberations. “From Day 1, we believed he would be exonerated because the evidence overwhelmingly supported that,” he said. “That being said, five days of deliberation—it would be inhuman not to feel anxious. Were we surprised by the timing of the verdict? Yes. Were we surprised by the result? No.”

The Post reported that Penny and his legal team were later seen enjoying drinks at American Whiskey on West 30th Street, accompanied by security.

On Friday, Judge Maxwell Wiley dismissed the manslaughter charge after the jury informed the court they were unable to reach a consensus. By Monday, Penny had been acquitted of the remaining criminally negligent homicide charge.

News of the acquittal sparked strong reactions from supporters. New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov posted on X, “POETIC JUSTICE: Daniel Penny’s lawyer is Thomas Kenniff, who ran against @ManhattanDA (one of the worst DA’s in the country) to try to prevent the lawlessness that created this crime environment to begin with. And now he and Penny have both prevailed against this woke, self-serving, criminal-loving DA.”

Christina Pushaw, a member of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ team, tweeted that Penny would be “welcome in Florida.”

“He’s a hero,” said one witness to the incident, who had lived in New York City for five decades. The woman, who identified herself as a woman of color, criticized Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for pursuing charges.

“It was self-defense, and I believe in my heart that he saved a lot of people that day who could have gotten hurt,” she told The Gothamist.