Daniel Penny Jordan Neely
© via REUTERSA straphanger who was on the subway when former Marine Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold said Thursday she’s “praying” for Penny.
A straphanger who was on the subway when former Marine Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold said Thursday she's "praying" for Penny after it was revealed the 24-year-old would face charges tied to the high-profile case.

"I hope he has a great lawyer, and I'm praying for him," the 66-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, told The Post Thursday night. "And I pray that he gets treated fairly, I really do. Because after all of this ensued, I went back and made sure that I said 'Thank you' to him."

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed Thursday afternoon Penny would be charged with second-degree manslaughter.

He is expected to surrender to authorities Friday morning.

The subway rider said Neely, who had a history of mental illness, was threatening passengers after he hopped on an F train in Manhattan.

"He said, 'I don't care. I'll take a bullet, I'll go to jail' because he would kill people on the train," the woman said of Neely. "He said, 'I would kill a motherf — er. I don't care. I'll take a bullet. I'll go to jail.'"

The retiree said Penny did not initially engage with Neely during the wild rant until things got out of hand and he felt the urge to step in.

"This gentleman, Mr. Penny, did not stand up," the rider said. "Did not engage with the gentleman. He said not a word. It was all Mr. Neely that was ... threatening the passengers. If he did not get what he wants."

Neely had a criminal history with more than 40 arrests, law enforcement sources previously told The Post.

"'Gonna go to jail for life'? What? What penalties involve going to jail for life?" she wondered. "Could you tell me? Yeah, it's not kicking somebody in the shin, or punching somebody in the face."

The former Marine could face up to 15 years if convicted of the manslaughter charge.

His legal team said in a statement Thursday they were confident that once all the facts come out, Penny would be absolved of all wrongdoing.

They argued he was protecting himself and other passengers.

Neely's uncle, Christopher Neely, told The Post Thursday he doesn't think the manslaughter charge went far enough and wanted to see Penny charged with murder.

Penny was originally questioned by police in the aftermath of the incident but then was cut loose. He's expected to surrender Friday morning.

Neely's death, which was ruled a homicide by the city medical examiner's office, has sparked protest and anger across the Big Apple.

Footage from inside the subway car showed Penny and two other straphangers restrain Neely after cops and witnesses said he went on an aggressive rant.

The woman said she and another rider gave their account of the incident to authorities at the precinct because Penny asked them to. Other subway riders took videos of the encounter between Penny and Neely, she said.

"So I believe that those videos are going to come forward, maybe people will do it anonymously," she said.