The New Jersey man charged with assault for punching a fellow Penn Station straphanger — who died hours later — has been released as investigators probe the exact cause of death and circumstances surrounding the clash.
Nassadir Tate, 21, was arrested and charged Sunday with third-degree assault over the scuffle with a 55-year-old man that unfolded on the downtown C/E subway platform at 34th St-Penn Station, according to the NYPD and law enforcement sources.
He was soon released with an order to appear in court on April 1, according to cops. By law, the misdemeanor assault charge qualifies to be handled in that manner.
A relative outside Tate’s home in Hillside, NJ., insisted to The Post that Tate — who identifies as a “part-time model” and “soon to be programmer” on his LinkedIn — was innocent.
“Nassadir is a good kid. He’s never gotten into trouble,” the relative, who did not give their name, said Monday.
“He’s not a troubled person. He’s not an instigator. He’s not a violent person,” the relative added.
“From what I know, the altercation started as the other guy as the aggressor … From what the police say and what the camera shows, it will paint another picture.”
Police sources previously said that the older man had bumped into Tate on the platform just before 7 p.m. Saturday, leading to the heated feud that ended with Tate clobbering him in the face, the sources said.
The ailing man hobbled around the platform for about five minutes and then collapsed, with his alleged attacker already in the wind.
He was rushed by EMS to Lenox Hill Hospital and pronounced dead — though by Monday, there was still not enough evidence to determine whether the repeated blows played a role in his death.
Investigators were waiting for a final death certificate before concluding whether the victim died by a homicide or another factor, law enforcement sources said.
The city’s medical examiner’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for updates on Monday.
Depending on that determination, upgraded or additional charges could be filed against Tate, who has no previous arrest history and has stable housing in the Garden State, the sources said.
The incident comes as the NYPD has increased its presence in the city’s transit system amid concerns of an uptick in crime underground.
The NYPD had deployed roughly 140 additional officers daily across subway and train systems in response to an overall increase in transit crime, according to the police.
While felony assaults in transit are up roughly 5.4% year-to-date through March 8 — signifying an increase in six incidents — the overall number has been trending downward since the beginning of the month, cops said.
