Three people are dead and seven others injured after a suspected drunk driver crashed into a park on New York City’s Lower East Side on Thursday night, police said. The driver, identified as 44-year-old Daniel Hyden, was driving a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck when he struck multiple pedestrians in Corlears Hook Park at around 8:53 p.m.
Hyden, who hails from Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, was driving eastbound on Water Street when he sped through a stop sign, jumped the curb, and plowed into the park. The pickup truck came to a halt on top of four victims, who were pinned under the vehicle when authorities arrived. Good Samaritans restrained Hyden until police arrived on the scene.
The victims included 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney and her 38-year-old son, Herman Pinkney. The third victim, a woman in her early 40s, has not yet been identified pending family notification. A 30-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition, while the other six injured, including an 11-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman, were reported to be in stable condition.
First responders, including the FDNY and NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit, worked together to remove the victims from under the vehicle. Witnesses described the chaotic scene, with one person saying, “I can’t get the screaming out of my head.”
Hyden has been charged with eight counts of recklessly causing serious injury with a weapon, aggravated vehicular homicide of more than one person, driving while intoxicated, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He is a substance abuse counselor who authored a book in 2020 on coping with addiction.
Authorities said they smelled alcohol on Hyden’s breath at the scene, and tests are being conducted to determine his level of intoxication. Despite the tragic nature of the incident, authorities have stated that terrorism is not suspected, although the investigation is ongoing.
The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. at the intersection of Water Street and Jackson Street. Surveillance footage obtained by WABC shows the truck speeding down the street with no signs of slowing down before it crashed through a fence and into the park, where families were celebrating the Fourth of July.
One witness, who was in the park with his wife and sister-in-law, said the victims were enjoying a barbecue near the baseball field’s bleachers when the truck crashed into them. “That’s where the truck crashed into. If you go straight, you drive exactly into that space and that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
The pickup truck, which weighs around 5,000 pounds, was resting on top of four victims when first responders arrived. They used airbags, floor jacks, and cribbing to free the trapped individuals. The victims were rushed to Bellevue, New York Presbyterian Downtown, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and NYU Langone hospitals.
Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and the third succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. The driver, who was taken into custody, is also being evaluated at Bellevue Hospital.
Parkgoers who witnessed the tragedy acted quickly to restrain Hyden and prevent him from fleeing the scene. “I don’t understand how a person can get into a car intoxicated or people with them and let them drive, knowing they can alter the lives of the people around them in such an intense and tragic way,” said one witness.
The incident has left the community in shock. Abdo Yahya, a 30-year-old father of three who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, said his kids are now scared to go outside. “Nothing like this has ever happened here before. I mean they fight. They argue. But nothing like this,” he said.
This tragedy is the second deadly drunk driving incident in New York in less than a week. On June 28, four people were killed in Long Island when a driver, Steven Schwally, allegedly crashed his minivan into a nail salon, trapping several people inside.
Mayor Eric Adams emphasized that the incident does not appear to be terrorism-related but acknowledged the role of alcohol. “A driver drove into a crowd of people who were actually just celebrating, like so many New Yorkers and Americans are doing right now,” he said.
The New York City Fire Department said crews arrived on the scene within three-and-a-half minutes and lifted the vehicle off the victims. The driver was taken into custody with the help of good Samaritans at the scene. “We believe, initially, that there were people who were there at the scene who grabbed the driver, removed the driver, and made sure the driver didn’t leave until first responders made it to the scene,” said NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey.
As the investigation continues, the community is left to mourn the loss of life and grapple with the aftermath of this senseless tragedy.
Source: WABC, The Post, CBS New York
