AOC Blasts NYC Mayor Over His Statement About Death of Jordan Neely: ‘Feels Like a New Low’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is blasting New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) for his statement about the death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely — who died after being placed in a chokehold on a subway.

In a statement, Adams said, “Any loss of life is tragic. There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened here, so I’m going to refrain from commenting further.”

“However, we do know that there were serious mental health issues in play here,” he continued before calling on officials to prioritize “getting people the care they need.”

Ocasio-Cortez shared the statement and wrote, “This honestly feels like a new low: not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem ‘too low’ to care about.”

“The last sentence is especially rich from an admin trying to cut the very services that could have helped him,” she added.

Neely died on Monday after a 24-year-old Marine veteran put him in a chokehold while they were sharing a subway car. He was reportedly held in a chokehold for 15 minutes.

According to The New York Post, Neely “began going on an aggressive rant on a northbound F train Monday afternoon, according to police and a witness who took the video.”

Freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez told the paper, “He started screaming in an aggressive manner.”

“He said he had no food, he had no drink, that he was tired and doesn’t care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all these things, took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground,” he added.

At that point, the Marine veteran walked over and placed him in a chokehold.

A witness told CBS News Neely had been panhandling and shouting, but, “It did not appear that this man, who seemed to be suffering from some kind of mental disturbance, was seeking to assault anyone.”

On Wednesday, a medical examiner ruled Neely’s death a homicide. However, the man who placed him in the chokehold has not been charged as of Thursday morning.

By Wednesday evening, Neely’s death and whether the veteran’s actions were justified were being debated on Twitter.

Conservatives pointed to Neely’s mental health issues and reports of him having been previously arrested for assault. But the reports have not suggested the veteran knew of him or had a clear reason to believe he actually posed a threat.

And from the reports so far, it is not precisely clear exactly what was said that led the veteran to place Neely in a chokehold. Shouting and making aggressive statements can be disturbing and uncomfortable especially if the subway is moving and you cannot just exit the car.

But is such behavior enough — without a genuine sense of imminent bodily harm or an assault — to justifiably go and put a stranger in a chokehold for 15 minutes? At the very least, could there have been other methods of restraining him?

The investigation is ongoing and more information will come out.

But there was nothing wrong with Adams declining to comment further in his statement. Elected officials who have large platforms to sway public opinion, and at the very least the image of the ability to sway investigations, should hold off on commenting on Neely’s death until more is known.