Daniel Penny celebrates his acquittal in NYC bar, lets lawyers handle the conversation.

On Monday, Daniel Penny was filled with joy as he and his legal team relaxed their ties and celebrated a not guilty verdict following his acquittal in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, who was threatening to kill subway riders when the 26-year-old Marine veteran grabbed him from behind.

A 30-year-old homeless man, high on synthetic marijuana and suffering from schizophrenia, attacked a car, screamed that someone would die, and later passed out and died.

"He said that it should have happened on day one, but the important thing is that it did, as he told a camera from The Associated Press after Penny smiled but turned away without speaking. "We can't control the timing of it, but you can certainly savor the outcome.""

On Monday, jurors declared Penny not guilty following a contentious trial lasting several weeks. The trial has been criticized as a politically motivated prosecution, particularly after Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Dafna Yoran repeatedly introduced racial undertones into a case that did not involve hate crime charges.

Daniel Penny's lawyers respond after his acquittal in the trial for the death of Jordan Neely.

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A Long Island native, Penny, a Marine veteran who received a humanitarian award for helping hurricane victims, is described as calm and empathetic during trial testimony. He played lacrosse and was in his school's orchestra as a teen and worked two jobs while studying architecture at the New York City College of Technology following his honorable discharge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.