Man Who Was Choked To Death On NYC Subway Has Sad North Jersey Connection

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Debate has raged for weeks after a homeless man acting erratically — Jordan Neely, 30 — was put into a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway by Marine veteran Daniel Penny, 24.

Last week, Penny pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.

Before Jordan Neely wound up homeless, his mother also died tragically.

Back in 2007, Neely and his mom lived in Bayonne, N.J.

Christine Neely, 36, was choked to death by her boyfriend, Shawn Southerland, 50, in April of 2007, according to prosecutors. Jordan Neely was only 14 at the time.

Four years later, in 2012, Jordan testified in court about the pair's troubled relationship, according to a story in NJ.com. He said that he became suspicious one morning in 2007 because his mother didn't wake him for school as she normally did. He went to go see her in her room, but Southerland blocked him from entering.

NJ.com reported last week that relatives say that Neely never recovered from what happened to his mom.

Meanwhile, debate continues over Penny's actions. He has been released from custody in New York City.

The New York Times reported Saturday that Neely was on an "informal" watchlist of 50 homeless people most "at risk."

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