The man charged with trying to shove an Asian undercover cop onto Queens subway tracks was cut loose without bail Sunday — as the judge claimed, “My hands are tied.”
Suspect Ricardo Hernandez, 32 — who faces three hate-crime charges in the attack on the unnamed cop on a Long Island City train platform around 5:30 p.m. Saturday — has at least 12 prior arrests under his belt.
At Hernandez’s arraignment over the attempted push onto the tracks, Queens Supreme Court Justice Louis Nock said the state’s bail-reform measures barred him from holding Hernandez in jail.
“My hands are tied because under the new bail rules, I have absolutely no authority or power to set bail on this defendant for this alleged offense,” the judge said.
Under the new measures passed last year, attacks that cause no injury are exempt from bail in New York.
The judge also agreed with Hernandez’s lawyer to dismiss a warrant against the suspect involving a previous open-container summons. The suspect had had a can of Coors Light beer.
A police source said Hernandez was previously arrested for possession of a controlled substance in 2019 and turnstile jumping in 2016 and 2017 and has nine other sealed arrests on his record.
Meanwhile, his alleged cop assault came after another previous attack this month on an Asian undercover officer — in which the suspect also was almost immediately freed.
Hernandez, who lives near the subway station where the latest attempted shove took place, told The Post as he left court, “I don’t want to talk about this.”
According to police, Hernandez confronted the undercover cop on the N train platform at 31st Street and 39th Avenue in Dutch Kills and tried to shove him onto the tracks.
“That’s why you people are getting beat up,” Hernandez allegedly snarled. “I got nothing to lose.
“I will f–k you up!” Hernandez added, according to cops. “This is my house.”
He was arrested at the scene and charged with harassment, aggravated harassment and menacing — all classified as hate crimes.
Meanwhile, on April 9, police said Juvian Rodriguez, 35, was busted after he told another Asian cop, “Go back to China before you end up in a graveyard.”
“I’m gonna slap the holy piss out of you and stab you in the face,” he allegedly added.
Rodriguez was released fewer than 12 hours later.
The incidents come as the city has seen a spike in attacks on Asian-Americans.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
