Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday that they will bring criminal charges against a man who used a deadly chokehold on an unruly passenger aboard a New York City subway train, an incident that stirred outrage and debates about the response to mental illness in the nation’s largest transit system.

Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, will be arrested and face a charge of second-degree manslaughter, which could carry a jail term of up to 15 years.

“We cannot provide any additional information until he has been arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, which we expect to take place tomorrow,” the Manhattan district attorney's office said in a statement.

The charges come nearly two weeks after Penny pinned fellow subway rider Jordan Neely, 30, to the floor of a subway car and put him in a chokehold that lasted for several minutes.

According to a freelance journalist who witnessed the struggle, Neely had been screaming and begging for money aboard the train prior to the takedown but had not physically attacked anyone.

Attorneys for Penny did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They previously said their client, along with two other riders who helped restrain Neely, had acted in self-defense.

“Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death,” they said in a statement.

A former subway performer known for his spot-on Michael Jackson impression, Neely struggled in recent years with homelessness and worsening mental illness, friends said. He had been arrested several times and had recently pleaded guilty to assaulting a 67-year-old woman in 2021 as she left a subway station. After pleading guilty, he missed a court date, leading to a warrant for his arrest that was still active at the time of his death.

His death has divided some in New York and beyond, triggering intense debates and protests. Left-leaning advocates described the killing as an act of racist vigilantism, invoking comparisons to the infamous subway shooting carried out by Bernhard Goetz against four teenagers in 1984.

Others, including Mayor Eric Adams, have urged caution, calling on New Yorkers to wait for the full facts and investigations. They note that much is still not known about what precipitated the chokehold.

As the investigation has continued, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has faced pressure to make an arrest.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

NEW YORK CITY — A new action that rolled out Monday in New York in hopes to combat violence and homelessness in subways comes as at least six people were stabbed over the holiday weekend.

According to CNN, six people were stabbed in New York City train stations since the plan was announced Friday, which was unveiled by Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

The new plan hopes to see more police and mental health teams into the subways, the Associated Press reported.

ABC News reported that the plan notes that many people who use the subways for shelter need help, not handcuffs.

According to the AP, a 74-year-old man was slashed in the face after he argued with two female teenagers for allegedly smoking on the train.

Those suspects were arrested, the news outlet reported.

A 58-year-old man was arrested Monday, accused of going after another man with a hatchet around 12:30 a.m. in a Brooklyn subway station.

CNN reported that a 46-year-old man was stabbed in the thigh after he was approached by three males who demanded money.

On Friday, a man was arrested for allegedly stabbing another man inside a Queens subway station.

On Saturday, a 20-year-old female victim was punched in the back inside a subway station in Brooklyn. She was then stabbed three times in the abdomen by the suspect after getting into an argument.

The sixth victim was stabbed in the leg Saturday night after two men attempted to remove property from the male victim.