Prosecutors probe chokehold death of New York subway rider

New York prosecutors are investigating the death of a homeless man put in a chokehold by a fellow rider on the city's subway, in an incident that has sparked outrage.

The death of Jordan Neely -- who US media identified as a Michael Jackson impersonator who often performed on the train -- was caught on camera and has angered homeless advocacy groups.

The incident also touches on two burning issues in America's financial capital -- mental illness and residents' fears for their safety on the underground.

Neely, 30, was killed by "compression" of the neck as a result of "homicide," New York's medical examiner told AFP in a statement.

The video shows him on the ground of a subway train as another man, said by media reports to be a 24-year-old US marine, holds him around the neck.

A witness told AFP that the man restrained Neely after the latter started screaming at other passengers, saying he didn't have anything to eat or drink.

Police have questioned the man and it is now up to prosecutors to decide whether to file charges in the case.

"As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the medical examiner's report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records," a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney said in a statement sent to AFP Thursday.

Neely was living on the streets and had been arrested dozens of times, according to reports.

Dave Giffen, of the Coalition for the Homeless, said Neely's death was evidence of the city's "callous indifference to the lives of those who are homeless and psychiatrically unwell."

Left-wing Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter that Neely "was murdered."

Mayor Eric Adams told CNN that "any loss of life is tragic," but that "there is a lot we don't know about what happened here."

"We cannot just blanketly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that," he added.

Police said in a statement that officers responded to an incident on the F train at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in Manhattan at 2:27 pm (1827 GMT) on Monday.

They found Neely unconscious and he was transported to Lenox Hill hospital "where he was pronounced deceased," the statement added.