Daniel Penny was first introduced to the world as the hoodie-wearing subway passenger whose chokehold led to the death of Jordan Neely.
More than a year later, he was led from court fresh from his acquittal over the homeless man’s death sporting a sharp suit and tie.
But now the former marine has been spotted rocking a more bohemian look as he enjoyed Memorial Day weekend in New York City.
Penny, 26, opted for a loose, open collar white shirt and rolled up pants for a stroll along the Hudson River in Manhattan with girlfriend Isabel Sorenson.
The couple were seen walking near the Chelsea Piers fitness and sports center, with Penny carrying a set of golf clubs in one hand.
At one point, he kicked off his loafers and removed his shirt to reveal his heavily tattooed arm.
Sporting pair of dark sunglasses and holding baseball cap in his hand, he completed the more relaxed look as the couple soaked up the sun.
Sorenson, 25, wore loose white pants and a black shirt with her hair tied back out of her face.
She is a business development associate for home hardware store The Nanz Company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Penny’s relaxed look was a far cry from the get-up he had on during the fatal subway altercation more than two years ago.
The former Marine was charged with Neely’s murder after he confronted the homeless man on a subway train on May 1, 2023.
Neely died after being restrained by a then 24-year-old Penny in a chokehold for around six minutes.
Penny said he intervened after Neely, 30, began acting erratically and threatening to kill other passengers.
The hearing divided those who viewed Penny as a murderer and those who saw him as a hero.
For many, Neely’s death bore haunting echoes of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed at the hands of a white police officer.
But for others Penny is a vigilante, who protected his fellow passengers from the kind of threat that has become a mainstay on the Big Apple’s subways.
Footage of Penny placing Neely in a headlock and his subsequent trial made the veteran a minor celebrity in New York.
Protests were seen in the city after the case was seized upon by the Black Lives Matter movement, which characterized Neely’s death as racist.
Penny disputed claims that race played a role in his actions, as he pointed out that a black man was among those who helped him subdue Neely after he threatened subway passengers.
Donald Trump went on to host Penny to in his presidential suite at the Army-Navy game days after his acquittal.
Penny’s freedom hung in the balance at the conclusion of his trial in December when prosecutors made a bombshell decision to drop the manslaughter charge against him, due to the jury being deadlocked.
Pushing ahead with lesser charges of negligent homicide, the jury returned a not guilty verdict days later.
A day later, Penny sat down with Judge Jeanine Pirro and revealed that he would have felt responsible ‘if someone did get hurt’ after the Neely threatened to kill people onboard the train.
‘The guilt I would’ve felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do, I would never be able to live with myself,’ Penny said.
Since his acquittal, Penny has secured a job at a powerhouse financial firm.