The suspect arrested for punching a man who bumped into him on a Penn Station subway platform was released with a ticket to appear in court next month — as the District Attorney’s Office waits for the victim’s cause of death to be determined.
For now, Nassadir Tate, a 21-year-old aspring model, is charged with misdemenor assault. He was given a desk appearance ticket and is due to appear in Manhattan Crimial Court to face the charge on April 1.
“Bruh I had a f—ing day … So the n***a I punched died bruh,” Tate wrote on Instagram Sunday, the day he was charged. “No I was not the reason of his death.”
The suspect’s father, Nassua Tate, told the Daily News is not an aggressive person and suggested he acted in self defense.
“Nassadir is an absolute really gentle kid,” the father said. “Nassadir is a non-confrontational person. He’s actually a person who shies away from any type of violence.”
“There’s nothing in his character or his history that reflects anything that is aggressive or violent,” the father added.
The 55-year-old victim fell to the ground about five minutes after Nassadir punched him in the face and walked off following an argument sparked when the victim bumped into Nassadir on the uptown C and E platform about 6:55 p.m. Saturday, cops said.
Cops found the victim unconscious and medics took him to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he died.
An initial autopsy was inconclusive, with the victim’s cause of death pending further study, a spokesperson for the city Medical Examiner’s office said Monday.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News
In this file photo, a C train is seen arriving at Penn Station in 2024. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Nassadir’s Instagram is filled with modeling photos, including a black and white series of him in a black cowboy hat, black singlet and black jeans. He does not appear to have a criminal record, according to police.
“This is not something that was instigated by Nassadir,” Nassua said. “This was a case of him defending himself against somebody who was an aggressor towards him … This was something that was brought on by unfortunately the fella who is no longer with us.”
“There’s still things obviously that I’m not privy to, but I think the investigators and the surveillance, the cameras, will show the story,” he added.
Nassadir, who is from Hillside Township, N.J., was arrested on Sunday after police distributed the puncher’s photo to officers to be on the lookout, sources said.
With Rocco Parascandola and Molly Crane-Newman