A dramatic video captured the brave actions of a 24-year-old who took down a mentally disturbed man on a Manhattan subway train earlier this week. The incident occurred on a northbound F train on Monday afternoon when the homeless man, identified as Jordan Neely, 30, began ranting.
Freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez was a witness to the incident and filmed it as per NY post. According to Vazquez, the homeless man started screaming and took off his jacket, throwing it on the ground. He said he was hungry and thirsty and did not care about going to jail.
The man stepped in and put Neely in a RNC submission, pinning him down for about 15 minutes. The man, reportedly a Marine veteran, held Neely down until the train stopped at the Broadway-Lafayette Street/Bleeker Street station, where the conductor called 911. The straphanger released Neely after a few seconds, and he fell to the ground.
EMS workers at the station were unable to revive Neely, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The straphanger was taken into custody but released without charges.
Autopsy results are pending, and the investigation is ongoing. Authorities will decide whether to press charges after receiving the results.
Vazquez was on the train and saw Neely barge in at the Second Avenue station, screaming at riders, causing many to move away. Later in the video, Neely flails his arms and legs, attempting to break free as the straphanger holds him down. He eventually stops moving and loses consciousness.
Vazquez had mixed feelings about the fatal incident, saying that he thought it was fine for citizens to want to help but that heroes needed to use moderation. He added that the situation could have been avoided if the police had arrived within five minutes, calling them the true heroes.
