Six jurors picked for Daniel Penny trial — including two who’ve been harassed on subway

Six Manhattanites were picked Monday to service connected nan assemblage astatine Daniel Penny’s lightning-rod manslaughter proceedings over nan fatal subway chokehold of bum man Jordan Neely — including 2 who said they’ve knowledgeable harassment connected nan transit system.

The panelists chosen truthful acold see a Yorkville security lawyer who recalled being randomly “rammed” by a female pinch a cart during her greeting commute 8 years ago.

“She conscionable rammed nan cart into me, called maine a sanction and I conscionable backed off,” nan female said during assemblage action successful Manhattan Supreme Court. “It benignant of ended there.”

Another juror, an Upper East Side retiree, said that a “homeless gentleman” erstwhile harassed him for “no peculiar reason” while he was connected nan Q train astatine 96th Street.

A 3rd juror is simply a retired nationalist librarian surviving successful Morningside Heights who said her girl was assaulted by a mentally sick aliases bum man successful nan mediate of Times Square astir 7 years ago.

“This man walked up down her… and he punched her successful nan backmost of nan head,” she said.

Other jurors see a theatre buff who lives successful Lincoln Center, a healthcare pro who emigrated to nan US from nan Philippines and a package technologist from Atlanta.

Three retired of nan six jurors selected successful nan lawsuit truthful acold said they thrust nan subway regularly, while nan different 3 opportunity they return it erstwhile successful a while.

A sheet of 12 jurors full and 4 alternates will yet beryllium chosen to determine whether Penny, a 25-year-old erstwhile Marine, is blameworthy of “recklessly” sidesplitting Neely, 30, who had a history of intelligence wellness problems.

Penny is accused of placing nan bum subway busker successful a six-minute chokehold aft Neely, who was unarmed, verbally threatened passengers wrong a crowded northbound F train arsenic it approached nan Broadway-Lafayette position connected May 1, 2023.

Prosecutors will reason that Penny acted recklessly and ignored an “unjustifiable risk” by continuing to choke Neely moreover aft nan subway doors opened onto nan level — allowing immoderate frightened passengers to fly — and for a infinitesimal aft he mislaid consciousness.

Penny’s lawyers person based on that his actions were justified to protect himself and different straphangers, and person cited Neely’s chronic maltreatment of nan supplier K2, which they opportunity made him prone to convulsive outbursts.

At slightest 1 of nan jurors, a young achromatic man who moved to nan East Village from Atlanta, said during juror questioning past week that he’s acquainted pinch nan effects of nan dangerous synthetic marijuana product.

“Not that he deserved it, but I deliberation conscionable nan power of drugs… you don’t really cognize what a personification is going to do connected K2,” he mused to Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran connected Friday.

“It’s 2 people, but it’s 1 that you don’t really cognize successful nan infinitesimal what nan personification is going to do,” he added.

One of Penny’s attorneys, Thomas Kenniff, polled nan group of prospective jurors astir whether they agreed that subway crime was connected nan rise, whether they agreed pinch Gov. Kathy Hochul’s deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops connected nan subway and whether they agreed that homelessness was a important problem connected nan subway.

More than a twelve prospective jurors were axed from nan lawsuit for various reasons Monday. Among nan panelists bounced from nan lawsuit “for cause” was 1 female who said she mightiness beryllium sympathetic to Penny because her begetter and relative served successful nan US Army.

The female added that she could not beryllium “impartial” successful deciding whether to convict Penny because she’s been harassed arsenic a straphanger — and feels that “people should measurement successful erstwhile they spot a female getting harassed.”

“I’ve been stepped on, sat on, grinded up against, pushed – it’s each conscionable portion of taking nan subway,” nan female said.

Jury action successful nan lawsuit is group to proceed Tuesday morning.

Penny faces up to 15 years successful situation if he’s convicted of second-degree manslaughter, and up to 4 years if he’s convicted connected nan lesser complaint of criminally negligent homicide.