Straphanger who put Jordan Neely in fatal chokehold hires DA Bragg’s former rival as attorney
By Larry Celona and
Emily Crane
May 4, 2023 6:33pm
The Marine who was filmed putting mentally ill homeless man Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a subway has lawyered up — hiring Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s former rival to represent him, The Post has learned.
The straphanger, whose name hasn’t been released publicly, retained criminal defense attorney Thomas Kenniff — potentially setting up another showdown with Bragg should the DA’s office bring charges in Neely’s death.
Kenniff, a Republican, notably lost out to Bragg, his Democrat counterpart, in the race for Manhattan DA in 2021.
The Iraq War veteran and major in the Army National Guard — a former Westchester prosecutor and founding partner of Raiser & Kenniff — didn’t want to comment on his new client on Thursday.
His client — identified by police sources as a 24-year-old from Queens — was taken into custody after Monday’s deadly encounter but was released without charges.
The DA’s office, as part of its probe, is now weighing whether to bring criminal charges against him over Neely’s death, which has been ruled a homicide.
A spokesman for Bragg confirmed the probe was ongoing Thursday.
“As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner’s report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records,” the rep said in a Wednesday evening statement.
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https://nypost.com/2023/05/04/straphanger-who-put-jordan-neely-in-chokehold-hires-braggs-ex-rival/