diff --git a/tests/nul-in-escape.dts b/tests/nul-in-escape.dts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bed351
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/nul-in-escape.dts differ
diff --git a/tests/run_tests.sh b/tests/run_tests.sh
index 7bdf8e0..b40ba9c 100755
--- a/tests/run_tests.sh
+++ b/tests/run_tests.sh
@@ -292,6 +292,7 @@ libfdt_tests () {
 
     run_wrap_error_test $DTC division-by-zero.dts
     run_wrap_error_test $DTC bad-octal-literal.dts
+    run_dtc_test -I dts -O dtb nul-in-escape.dts
 }
 
 dtc_tests () {
diff --git a/util.c b/util.c
index cbb945b..fb124ee 100644
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -152,7 +152,6 @@ char get_escape_char(const char *s, int *i)
 	int	j = *i + 1;
 	char	val;
 
-	assert(c);
 	switch (c) {
 	case 'a':
 		val = '\a';