The uncle of a homeless man choked to death on the New York City Subway has appeared in court after being caught with several stolen credit cards.
A handcuffed Christopher Neely, the 44-year-old uncle of Jordan Neely, was pictured arriving for his arraignment in Manhattan Wednesday, after being hit with four felonies and eight misdemeanors Monday.
At the time, Neely – who like his late nephew has a laundry list of priors -was cuffed after being caught with seven credit cards cops say were stolen, as well as an a illegal switch blade.
Police promptly hit the career criminal with the four felonies – criminal possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, bail jumping, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
His arrest comes days after he demanded officials not give a plea deal to the 24-year-old ex-marine who choked out his 30-year-old nephew, whose death has sparked fierce debate about self-defense and homelessness in the Big Apple.
Explaining his reasoning behind his desire to jail Daniel Penny, Neely told the New York Post Saturday, if not, ‘he will do it again’.Â
Chrisopher Neely, the uncle of New York City subway victim Jordan Neely, appeared in court Wednesday over charges he was using
Neely had an extensive rap sheet for crimes on the subway, including vicious assaults of other passengers.
In 2021, Neely attacked an elderly woman as she left the Bowery station in the East Village. She suffered a broken nose, a fractured orbital bone, and ‘bruising, swelling and substantial pain to the back of her head’ in the November 12 attack, according to a criminal complaint.
He admitted felony assault on February 9 in exchange for a 15-month alternative-to-incarceration program, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
He was supposed to stay in a treatment facility and stay sober.
Between January 2020 and August 2021, he was arrested for public lewdness after pulling down his pants and exposing himself to a woman, misdemeanor assault for hitting a woman in the face, and criminal contempt for violating a restraining order.
All three cases were dismissed as part of his February 9 plea deal, according to Fox News.
In June 2019, Neely assaulted 68-year-old Filemon Castillo Baltazar on the platform of the W. 4th St. Station in Greenwich Village, court records show.
‘Out of nowhere, he punched me in the face,’ the victim told the New York Daily News. He said he saw Neely before the attack rummaging in trash cans for food.
One month earlier, Neely punched a man in the face, breaking his nose on the platform of Broadway-Lafayette – the same subway station where he died.
For both 2019 cases, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to six months in jail.
