Daniel Penny, in his first interview since being charged with manslaughter by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, rejected the media’s characterization of him as a “white supremacist” and said he felt no personal guilt because of the situation because he always tried to do the right thing.
“I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist,” Penny told the New York Post.
“I mean, it’s, it’s kind of comical. Anyone who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell from my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. From in fact, I was planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
Penny refuted the portrayal of him as a vigilante: “I’m just a normal guy.”
He explained in the interview that he cannot go into details because of the pending court case, but it was nothing like “what I had experienced before.”
“This was different, this time was very different,” Penny said. “This time was very different.”
Penny’s attorney, Thomas Kenniff of the Manhattan law firm Raiser & Kenniff, said the other passengers on the F train will corroborate his client’s account.
“I can tell you that the threats, the threats, the terror that Jordan Neely brought onto that train is already well documented,” Kenniff said. “I don’t think it’s even controversial. There are numerous witnesses from all walks of life who have no reason to do anything but tell what really happened. They are uniform in their recollection of the facts.”
Penny then relived the basic circumstances of her journey, which was interrupted by the fateful encounter with Jordan Neely.
“I was going to my gym,” Penny said. “There’s a pool there. I like to swim. I used to live in the East Village. I take the subway several times a day. I think New York’s transit system is the best in the world and I’ve been all over the world” .
“You know, I live an authentic, genuine life,” Penny added. “And I would, if there were a threat and a danger in the present…”
The Post then asked her if she felt ashamed of what happened.
“No, I mean, I always do what I think is right.”
“If you face all these challenges, you have to stay calm,” he explained. “What’s the point of worrying about something, worrying won’t make your problems go away. I credit that to my father and grandfather. They’re very, very stoic.”
Penny also said she quit social media years ago.
“I don’t follow anyone and I don’t have social networks because I don’t like the attention and I think there are better ways to spend my time. I don’t like the limelight.”
Penny, who has three sisters, said her family is “hanging on” during the difficult time in her life.
“My mother is fine,” he said. “My sisters understand. They all support me.”
The Post report noted that Penny attended Suffolk Community College after graduating from West Islip High School, where he was a lacrosse star, before enlisting in the Marines.
“Growing up after 9/11 and the terrorist attacks in a community full of firefighters, first responders, police officers, it was like I needed to serve my community in some way,” he said.
Penny deployed twice with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“We went to Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Greece and Spain,” he said. “We kind of stayed off the coast of Iran. It was during the whole drone thing when they were shooting stuff and stuff.” Penny’s travels also took him to Okinawa, Japan.
“I love to travel,” she said. “It really changed my perspective on the world, no doubt about it. I’m so grateful to be able to travel so much. Just the kindness and welcoming of everyone and everywhere I went. And even before I deployed, you know , many of my friends that I served with in my platoon came from all over Central America and Mexico, which, you know, opened my eyes to their cultures and their perspectives.”
He also talked about his time in the US Marines.
“I loved leading the Marines and I loved being around the Marines,” he said of his service, where he eventually attained the rank of sergeant. “I love helping people.”
Penny said he didn’t “try to become a leader” in the Marines. “I did what I had to do. And I think growing up in a mostly female household, you learn to lead in different ways from a young age. You learn to have compassion and humility, and you don’t consider your perspective and you also show compassion with the perspectives of others.”
Daniel Penny has a defense fund at GiveSendGo, where he has raised nearly $3 million for his legal expenses.
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