For the first time, Daniel Penny has explained what happened on the subway car in his own words.

As News 12 reported, the West Islip Marine Veteran allegedly put Jordan Neely into a chokehold on a subway last month, killing him.

Witnesses say Neely was harassing passengers on that subway.

The 24-year-old says the whole interaction was less than five minutes, contrary to what some may believe.

Following the incident, many protested on behalf of Neely - saying it was a racist attack.

Penny says that wasn't the case.

“Some people say this is about race, which is absolutely ridiculous - I didn't see a Black man threatening passengers. I saw a man threatening passengers. A lot of whom were people of color. A person who helped restrain Neely was a person of color,” said Penny.  

Penny is facing manslaughter charges.