The🃏 father of a yellow-cab driver charged with intentionally plowing into a pedestrian claims his son has mental-health issues — and was bullied into making incriminating statements.
Adam Hernandez, 30, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court, facing two counts of assault stemming from the🎀 incident on July 27, when Dana Smolen, a 31-year-old Upper East Side woman, was struck in the crosswalk on Sixth Avenue near West 19th Street.
Hernandez, who is out on bail, inten🌃tionally blew through a red light to strike Smolen, authorities allege.
His dad says that’s not true.
“Adam has Asperger’s syndrome and he was bullied by the police,” William Hernandez said outside court. “He was scared. He thought 🌜he lost his job. He was frightened. In fact, the police bullied him into saying things that weren’t true or accurate.”
Before the dad could elaborate, a deไfense la𒅌wyer intervened and walked him away.
Her🌠nande🅘z’s lawyer, Evans Prieston, echoed sentiments that his client might need psychiatric treatment.
“We are exploring some mental-health issues,” Prieston told The Post. “He has a ver꧃y concerned father.”
Smolen remarkably survived the incident.
“The person whom the defendant hit was pinned between the two cars,” Police Officer Thomas Manning sai🌃d in a criminal complaint filed by pro🌱secutors.