Infamous subway vigilante Bernie Goetz says Daniel Penny has ‘to pay’ for killing Jordan Neely

The US Marine who killed homeless subway rider Jordan Neely has “got to pay,” infamous subway vigilante Bernie Goetz sarcastically told The Post.

“He killed Michael Jackson,” Goetz said, referring to Neely’s performances impersonating the King of Pop in Times Square and on the subway. “He got to pay.”

Asked if he was a fan of Michael Jackson or Neely’s impersonations, Goetz bizarrely quipped: “I think Michael Jackson, tattoos, piercings, and cocaine all suck equally.”

Goetz cemented his place in New York City lore in 1984 after opening fire at four black teenagers inside a No. 2 subway train. He claimed he was acting in self-defense because he thought the teens were going to mug him. 

The notorious gunslinger was acquitted of attempted murder, but fined $5,000 and sentenced to six months in prison for illegal weapons possession.

Many this week have drawn comparisons between Goetz and Daniel Penny, 24, a Marine from Long Island’s West Islip who was filmed putting Neely in a fatal chokehold for several minutes aboard an F train Monday.  

“Thirty years ago, I fought the Bernard Goetz case and we cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable,” said Rev. Al Sharpton. “It wasn’t acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now.” 

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Neely, 30, who had a history of mental illness and unprovoked assaults, had been aggressively shouting at passengers prior to the deadly confrontation, according to witnesses and police. 

Additional reporting by Tina Moore