Son of writer Paul Auster dies of suspected overdose after being released on bail for NYC OD death of baby daughter

Daniel Auster, the son of renowned Brooklyn author Paul Auster, died of a suspected drug overdose while out on bail on manslaughter charges for the overdose death of his 10-month-old daughter, police sources said Thursday.

Auster, 44, was found unconscious on a C train platform at the Washington Ave./Clinton St. subway station at 9:48 a.m. April 20, police said.

Just hours earlier, he was released from Rikers Island after putting up $250,000 bond for the manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges he faced in his daughter Ruby’s Nov. 1 death.

Both responding officers and EMS performed CPR on Auster before he was rushed to Brooklyn Hospital, where he died Tuesday.

There were no drugs or drug paraphernalia found on Auster but investigators believe he overdosed based on his history with drug addiction, a police source said. The city Medical Examiner had not disclosed a cause of death as of Thursday.

Auster was arrested on April 15 after toxicology tests determined Ruby died of acute heroin and fentanyl intoxication, police said.

During interviews with police he admitted he injected heroin after his wife left for work Nov. 1, then took a nap with little Ruby, placing her in the bed next to him, according to court records.

When he awoke, he found his daughter “blue, lifeless and unresponsive,” the complaint says.

Before he called 911, Auster gave his daughter Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse an opioid overdose, “in case the child had been exposed to narcotics,” according to the complaint.

Auster’s father is the acclaimed author of “The New York Trilogy,” “The Book of Illusions,” “The Music of Chance,” “Moon Palace,” and “4 3 2 1.” He also wrote the screenplay for the 1995 Wayne Wang film “Smoke,” and co-directed “Blue in the Face” with Wang that year.

The author’s son has a troubled past — Daniel Auster’s name surfaced in the infamous 1996 “Club Kid Killing” of Andre “Angel” Melendez, 26, a Manhattan club scene drug dealer. Club Kid Michael Alig and his roommate Robert Riggs pleaded to manslaughter in the murder and dismemberment of Melendez.

Then then 20-year-old Auster pleaded guilty to stealing $3,000 from Melendez’s body and got five years probation.

He was also arrested for drug possession in 2008 and 2010 and petty larceny and possession of stolen property in 2009, authorities said.