Left Reacts to Jordan Neely’s Death on Subway

Jordan Neely, a homeless man reportedly exhibiting outward signs of mental illness and menacing passengers, should not have been on the F train on Monday afternoon. The Marine veteran who subdued him with the assistance of his fellow passengers shouldn’t have been in that position. The application of force that resulted in Neely’s death shouldn’t have had to occur. But it did.

The progressive-activist class, which so often deflects prudential questions of public safety by invoking grander theoretical questions about root causes, is trying to make this tragedy into a morality play with all the familiar victims and bad actors. They want a national scandal, and they will get one. But it is unlikely to play out like the activists think it will.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Jordan Neely, a homeless man reportedly exhibiting outward signs of mental illness and menacing passengers, should not have been on the F train on Monday afternoon. The Marine veteran who subdued him with the assistance of his fellow passengers shouldn’t have been in that position. The application of force that resulted in Neely’s death shouldn’t have had to occur. But it did.

The progressive-activist class, which so often deflects prudential questions of public safety by invoking grander theoretical questions about root causes, is trying to make this tragedy into a morality play with all the familiar victims and bad actors. They want a national scandal, and they will get one. But it is unlikely to play out like the activists think it will.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.