An unearthed video shows homeless man Jordan Neely aggressively charging a radio personality who trolled him about Michael Jackson.
In a four-minute clip posted on YouTube in 2012, Neely, who is dressed up as Michael Jackson outside the now-closed Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attraction in Times Square is approached by Howard Stern Show contributor Joey Boots.
Boots begins egging Neely on, peppering him with pedophile jokes about the King of Pop.
“What does Michael Jackson think when he sees a little boy at McDonald’s?” asks Boots, who died in 2016. “He thinks of a Happy Meal. He’s like, ‘Mmm Happy Meal.’”
Boots continues taunting him even after Neely warns him to beat it, squealing Michael Jackson’s “hee hee” sounds. Eventually, Neely becomes heated and starts cussing out Boots, causing a Ripley’s employee to intervene in an attempt to defuse the confrontation.
“You’re a fat f–k man, I’m telling you that,” Neely says to Boots. “You’re a fat f–k.”
As Boots begins to walk off, Neely suddenly runs after him and begins threatening him, the footage shows.
“I’m about to smack that f—king camera out your hand…F–k out of here!” Neely shouts while tearing off his jacket and button-down shirt. “Punch me…do something!”
“I’ll call the cops,” Boots says repeatedly, adding after, “You gonna do something?”
A wild-eyed Neely then appears to charge or take a swing at Boots, before shouting, “Go ahead, call the cop…call the f—-ing cops!”
What we know about NYC subway choking victim Jordan Neely
Who is Neely?
Jordan Neely, 30, a homeless man, was strangled aboard a northbound F train just before 2:30 p.m. on May 1, according to police.
He reportedly started acting erratically on the train and harassing other passengers before being restrained and ultimately choked by a straphanger, identified as a 24-year-old Marine from Queens.
The Marine, who was seen on video applying the chokehold, was taken into custody and later released but the DA is mulling charges, which could include involuntary manslaughter, according to experts.
Why is there fallout over Neely’s death?
The city medical examiner ruled Neely’s death a homicide, noting he died due to “compression of neck (chokehold).” This will be weighed during the investigation into whether charges will be brought for Neely’s death.
Neely’s aunt told The Post that he became a “complete mess” following the brutal murder of his mother in 2007. She noted he was schizophrenic while suffering from PTSD and depression.
“The whole system just failed him. He fell through the cracks of the system,” Carolyn Neely said.
Law enforcement sources said Neely had “numerous” arrests on his record, including for drugs, disorderly conduct, and fare beating.
At the time of his death, Neely had a warrant out for his arrest for a November 2021 case in which he was accused of assaulting a 67-year-old woman in the East Village, the sources said.
Mayor Eric Adams has said it’s important for the DA to complete the investigation into Neely’s death and not rush to conclusions.
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Boots eventually walks away while continuing to taunt Neely.
“Michael, I just stepped on your jacket,” he said. “See you later.”
Neely, 30, was choked to death on Monday aboard a northbound F train, after aggressively shouting at passengers and complaining that he was hungry, according to witnesses and police.
Straphanger Daniel Penny, 24, intervened and brought Neely to the ground, putting Neely in a chokehold for several minutes as two other passengers helped restrain his limbs.
The city medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, noting Neely died due to “compression of neck (chokehold).”
Penny—who served in the Marine Corps from 2017 to 2021—was taken into custody by police but released him soon after without any charges.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is weighing whether to bring criminal charges against Penny, and a grand jury could be empaneled as soon as Monday to determine whether to indict the Marine.
Penny said he “never intended to harm” Neely when he placed him in a chokehold, his lawyers said in a statement.
Neely had long struggled with mental health issues, with family members saying he suffered from PTSD, depression and schizophrenia, in addition to drug use following his mother’s murder.
He had 42 prior arrests, including for drugs, disorderly conduct, and assault, along with more than a dozen run-ins with police throughout the years tied to his mental health problems.
“The whole system just failed him. He fell through the cracks of the system,” said Carolyn Neely, his aunt.
One of Neely’s assault victims told The Post the city failed the homeless man by not forcing him to get him the mental health treatment he so desperately needed.
“I don’t know why he didn’t end up in Bronx Psychiatric Center,” said the victim, creative arts therapist Anne Mitcheltree.
“This is a common understanding in psychiatry,” she added, “that agitated people who are aggressive get themselves killed.”
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