In response to woke Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's decision to file charges against former U.S. Marine Daniel Penny, thousands of donors raced to show their support by donating more than $1 million.
More than 23,000 donors gathered to donate money to the GiveSendGo campaign created by Perry's attorneys. By Saturday, that support reached $1,400,314, with donations averaging $821 a minute, causing the website to disable for over an hour.
Donations averaged more than $1,100 per minute at one point before the site got overwhelmed and shut down.
Penny is facing second-degree manslaughter charges in New York City stemming from the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with a criminal record and over 40 arrests reportedly threatening subway riders who died after being subdued by the Marine veteran.
The description of the donation page reads:
"Daniel Penny is a twenty-four-year-old college student and decorated Marine veteran, facing a criminal investigation stemming from him protecting individuals on an NYC subway train from an assailant who later died. Funds are being raised to pay Mr. Penny's legal fees incurred from any criminal charges filed and any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense."
Supporters of Penny flooded the comments section of the donation page, praising Penny and denouncing Bragg's woke prosecution.
"The man is a hero," one donor wrote. "He took down a deranged lunatic."
Another said, "Attacking this hero is a travesty of Justice; New York and the United States should be ashamed."
"I wish this Marine were on the train with me every time," another donor wrote.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla) also announced that he stands by the former Marine, saying, "America's got his back."
Penny's attorney Thomas Kenniff is "confident" that the 24-year-old "will be absolved of any wrongdoing," adding that "Daniel swore an oath to defend his country."