In 1984, a subway straphanger named Bernhard Goetz shot four Black teenagers who he said were trying to mug him. The case soon drew national attention — with Goetz being celebrated as a hero by some New Yorkers, even after he was charged with attempted murder. The city was reminded of the Goetz case this past May after 30-year-old Jordan Neely was placed in a fatal chokehold by a man who said he was defending his fellow subway passengers.

Noted podcast host and producer Leon Neyfakh was in the middle of producing a six-part audio documentary on Goetz called “Vigilante” when the Neely news broke. He joined NY1’s Errol Louis for a look at the Goetz story and how he thinks the killing of Neely indicates how little has changed in four decades. They also discussed how he began his podcast career, why he created the hit podcast “Slow Burn” for Slate, and his thoughts around his latest project “FIASCO.”

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