MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: Bernie Goetz, a notorious subway vigilante, reportedly said that the ex-Marine who killed homeless subway passenger Jordan Neely "has got to pay." Referring to Neely's performances as the King of Pop in Times Square and on the subway, Goetz said, "He killed Michael Jackson. He got to pay."

When asked if he liked Neely's or Jackson's impersonations, Goetz said, "I think Michael Jackson, tattoos, piercings, and cocaine all suck equally." After opening fire on four Black teenagers inside a No 2 subway train in 1984, Goetz left his mark on the history of New York City. He asserted that he acted in self-defense since he believed the teenagers were planning to mug him. He was exonerated of attempted murder, but he was still fined $5,000 and given a six-month prison term for illegally possessing weapons.

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'It wasn’t acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now'

People have started rawing parallels between Goetz and Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old ex-Marine from West Islip, Long Island, who was caught on camera placing Neely in a fatal chokehold while riding an F train. "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, adding, "It wasn’t acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now."

According to witnesses and authorities, Neely, 30, had a history of mental instability and unjustified assaults, and had been violently yelling at passengers before the fatal altercation, as per New York Post.

'It's like Bernie Goetz all over again'

The latest incident and the Goetz incident were immediately compared on the internet. A user tweeted, "It’s funny seeing this marine choking this crazy homeless guy to death become the Bernie Goetz of this generation on the NYC subreddit." A second one claimed, "It was as much a vigilante act as Bernie Goetz. Arrest the SOB." "Bernie Goetz got off. What makes you think this marine won't? Nothing is open and shut until the verdict is read," remarked one user. Someone mentioned, "Daniel Penny who choked Jordan Neely to death on an NYC subway releases statement saying he acted in self-defense. It's like Bernie Goetz all over again. You could look it up. The more things change..." "I didn't live in NYC when the Bernie Goetz thing went down, is this s**t just history rhyming?" penned another. One user claimed, "I have a feeling we're headed towards another Bernie Goetz incident."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.