A Manhattan judge on Thursday dismissed the criminal case against a New Jersey man accused by law enforcement of fatally punching a stranger at Penn Station.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office charged Nassadir Tate, 22, with third-degree assault in Eweka Johnson’s death on March 14. Prosecutors said Tate punched Johnson one time in the face after a brief verbal argument on the uptown E train platform. Johnson died shortly after.
Prosecutors asked a judge to drop the charge against Tate after reviewing video surveillance, interviewing witnesses, examining an autopsy report and reviewing the defendant’s statement to police. They said they could not disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that Tate’s actions were justified…