NEW YORK (AP) — After being acquitted of homicide, the military veteran who choked a volatile, mentally ill man on a New York subway told an interviewer he put himself in a “very vulnerable position” but felt compelled to act.

Penny gave his first interview since the decision in his trial over the May 1, 2023, incident that resulted in the death of Jordan Neely.

The hailing of Penny as a hero is part of a right-wing campaign directed against the homeless and the mentally ill, hundreds of whom have no place to live other than New York’s massive subway system.