Who is Jordan Neely? What we know about the man choked to death in NYC subway

The family and acquaintances of the New York man whose train chokehold death this week caused outrage described him as a loving comedian with a “beautiful smile” who fell into mental illness after his mother was brutally murdered over ten years ago.

Jordan Neely, 30, passed away on May 1 after being placed in a chokehold by a Marine for several minutes after allegedly behaving violently on the F train.

Jordan Neely was a troublesome vagabond who frequently complained of mental illness, telling officers he was schizophrenic and occasionally even suicidal, according to New York City police at the time of his death.

Nedra Guaba, a close family friend from Washington Heights, described Jordan as a natural entertainer who enjoyed doing Michael Jackson impersonations on the subway.

She said, “He liked to hang around at train stops. He was not hostile. He isn’t like that at all. His favorite pastime was dancing.

Jordan’s aunt Carolyn Neely characterized her nephew as a “talented black man who loves to dance” in a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs. “Performance was his thing,” she wrote under a cheerful selfie of the pair in happier times.

Describing their last conversation to The Post, Carolyn recalled her nephew’s contagious grin. “He was smiling. He had a beautiful smile,” she remembered.

Teenage tragedy

However, those closest to Jordan acknowledged his long-standing battle with mental illness, which they claim started following the passing of his mother, Christie Neely.

Shawn Southerland, Christie’s partner, is accused of strangling Christie, age 36, before packing her body into a bag and throwing it onto the shoulder of the Henry Hudson Parkway in April 2007. As of 2012, NJ.com reported.

Jordan Neely, a minor at the time, was asked to give evidence against Southerland. The connection had been wild. Every day, they argue,” he stated of the couple. Jordan also recalled throughout the trial how sad it was when Southerland prevented him from saying his final goodbyes to his mother before he left for school.

Southerland was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison in March 2012.

‘Never the same’

Jordan Neely had naturally “never been the same” following the death of his mother, Carolyn told The Washington Post.

He was greatly affected by it. He first experienced depression, which worsened over time. He had PTSD and schizophrenia. Doctors were aware of his illness, and she bemoaned the need for treatment.

Jordan allegedly intermittently lived with his grandparents in the years immediately following the death of his mother, according to neighbor James Berry.

However, Jordan Neely‘s grandmother claimed in 2009 that he refused to take their advice and skipped school in order to hang out with an older crowd.

“Jordan is a sweet kid, but he’s very hard-headed,” she said to the police.
He won’t pay attention to me or his granddad, He shouldn’t get into any difficulty, please. He is not a bad man. Jordan may be helped in some way and encouraged to take responsibility.

According to accounts, he threatened to k!ll his grandfather in 2010. Jordan’s father, Andre Zachary, 60, abandoned him when he was a baby, Carolyn said. Guaba told The Post that he sometimes stayed with his father, but the two did not get along.

Struggling to get help

Neely spent several years in and out of Bellevue Hospital, according to Carolyn. Until at least 2020, according to sources who spoke to The Post, he would periodically take assistance from the Bowery Residents’ Committee through the NYC Department of Homeless Services.

Carolyn outlined how the medical establishment and doctors had resisted her attempts to get her nephew more intense care.

“As his aunt, as his blood, I was crying out for medical help for my nephew — but everything was about insurance,” she said.

“He just needed better help from doctors who did not give him help when I asked.

“I was really frustrated. I didn’t know what to do anymore.”

Jordan also shared his lingering trauma with his friend Moses Harper, an artist.

“He told me about how much his mother’s passing impacted him. He disclosed that she was murdered, and her body was put in a suitcase,” Harper told CNN this week.

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