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"It's self defense, clear self defense," attorney Adam Lustberg of Hackensack said after the judge released Andre Mateus, 26, with conditions following a Zoom hearing.
The trouble began at the Tally-Ho bar at the south end of Washington Avenue on Sept. 28.
Two groups got into a dispute that Lustberg said ended when the 22-year-old man who was later stabbed knocked a drink out of his client's hand.
Mateus and his friends left, went to another bar and eventually ended up at Artichoke Basile's pizzeria on nearby Hudson Street around 2 a.m., the attorney said.
"The line was out the door, so they waited outside," he said. "The alleged victim and his friends walked by and recognized my client's group."
Things again got physical, Lustberg said, noting that area surveillance video shows Mateus's group being accosted.
Mateus's friends eventually fled, leaving him alone to face the three others, he said.
As they approached him, Mateus allegedly brandished a folding knife in self-defense, the attorney said.
The alleged victim "was undeterred," however, he said.
Mateus was backing up as the advancing attacker was stabbed, Lustberg said.
The alleged victim was treated at Jersey City Medical Center before being released. Meanwhile, city police posted photos of Mateus and his friends, describing them as persons of interest.
Seeing this, one of his friends went to police, Lustberg said.
Mateus was later charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale released Mateus from the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny -- with conditions that include home confinement with permission to leave for work -- following Tuesday's video-conferenced detention hearing.
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