Seeing death before him: Eyewitness to Jordan Neely’s death discusses the violent scene

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Johnny Grima knows more than most the anguish of being homeless and the pain that comes along with it, but now he says he must grapple with more grief — the killing of Jordan Neely.

Grima is no stranger to trauma himself, he spent years on living on the street and was even arrested several times in 2022 as a result of the mayor’s encampment sweeps after refusing to take down his shelter in the East Village.

According to Grima, he was riding the F train home on May 1 with his friend and had been engaged in conversation. He mistakenly missed his stop, and that’s when he said the first signs of trouble came forth on the public address system.