Johnny Grima knows more than most the anguish of being homeless and the pain that comes along with it, but now he says he must grapple with more grief — the killing of Jordan Neely.
Grima is no stranger to trauma himself, he spent years on living on the street and was even arrested several times in 2022 as a result of the mayor’s encampment sweeps after refusing to take down his shelter in the East Village.
According to Grima, he was riding the F train home on May 1 with his friend and had been engaged in conversation. He mistakenly missed his stop, and that’s when he said the first signs of trouble came forth on the public address system.
“We’re talking for a while, the train stopped, we’re talking for a bit and then we hear the train announcer say for police to come to one of the front cars,” Grima recalled in an interview with amNewYork Metro. “I say hey, we got to transfer anyway, let’s go check out what’s going on.”
Grima remembers that as he made his way to the front of the train via the platform he saw that a crowd had already gathered around the car, prompting him to push through the throng of spectators to gain a better view. It is here, Grima said, that he spotted the man who has been identified in published reports as Daniel Penny allegedly choking Neely.
“When I get there, I see who we now know as Daniel Penny choking out Jordan Neely and there’s another guy holding onto him, he’s holding onto them for dear life, but Jordan Neely is not moving and his eyes are staring off into space,” Grima said. “I just didn’t know the context of what was going on… I regret that now.”
When Neely was released, Grima said, his body was limp and he was left with a blank stare. After suggesting to turn Neely on his side, Penny and several others reportedly flipped Neely over. Grima then attempted to pour water over Neely’s head when he said Penny stopped him.
“I had resolved by that point to try and see if he’s okay. I…
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