A suspected drunk driver, who police say crashed his truck into a crowd of people during a Fourth of July celebration in New York City on Thursday, killing three and injuring eight, is a wellness advocate and a substance abuse counselor, sources say.
Daniel Hyden, 44, of New Jersey, was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck at a high rate of speed when he ran a stop sign at an intersection, mounted a sidewalk, and smashed into a group who were enjoying the evening at Corlears Hook Park in the Lower East Side at around 9 p.m., police said.
Three people have now been confirmed dead – Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son, Hernan Pinkney, 38, as well as an unidentified female – after the holiday celebrations turned deadly in horrific circumstances.
Eight other victims were injured, including an 11-year-old child.
“Responding officers who did arrive on the scene did smell some alcohol,” said NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey at a late-night police briefing. “There were people who were there at the scene who grabbed the driver, removed the driver, and made sure the driver didn’t leave.”
So far, Hyden has been charged with three counts of driving while intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, and one count of operating a vehicle without a license. He is expected to be hit with several more charges.
He was perp-walked out of the 7th Police Precinct at 1:50 p.m. Friday where he was heckled by New Yorkers – and relatives of the victims – who shouted expletives at him.
Heyden was wearing a white t-shirt splattered in blood and had noticeable swelling and marks on the left side of his face. He kept his head down at all times and limped in handcuffs to a nearby patrol vehicle while being held by two detectives.
“You killed Hernan Pinkney, you f—ing b—–d… you don’t deserve air,” one woman screamed. Another man, who said he was Hernan Pinkney’s step-father, also roared at Heyden.
Hyden reportedly wrote a book in 2020 titled “The Sober Addict,” which claims to be a guide on “how to be functional with the dysfunctional disease of addiction.”
“This guide will help you learn how to function with this dysfunctional and chronic illness,” the book’s bio on Amazon reads.
In the book, Hyden describes himself as an “ex-professional addict…with over 18 years of use and abuse experience” and claims “addicts don’t choose addiction — addiction chooses them,” the New York Post reports.
Hyden’s Amazon author bio lists him as a substance abuse counselor, instructor, and public speaker. The New York Post was first to report that the suspect in the case had penned the book.
He has a prior arrest for assault in February and was charged with a traffic offense and driving under the influence in Wisconsin in 2015, the publication reports, citing court records. He pleaded guilty to the former charge and the latter was dismissed.
Responding firefighters on Thursday found the four victims – including the three deceased – underneath the truck when they arrived on the scene.
“They used their airbags, floor jacks, and cribbing in order to lift the vehicle off of the victims,” FDNY Assistant Chief Michael Meyers said at the press conference.
Video from the scene shows the front of the truck smashed, and it is surrounded by several park benches and debris like empty cups strewn across the floor.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also briefed the media and said that the victims were simply out celebrating when the deadly incident unfolded.
“We had a tragic incident which took place here,” Adams said. “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 incident was not terror-related.
Four victims were pinned under a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck. Three people are dead and seven others have been injured after a suspected drunk driver plowed his vehicle into a park on New York City’s Lower East Side on Thursday night, police said.
The driver of a gray Ford F-150, Daniel Hyden, 44, struck multiple pedestrians in the park at 8:53 p.m. on Thursday night, police said. The man was driving eastbound on Water Street when he sped through a stop sign, jumped the curb, and crashed into Corlears Hook Park, police said. The pickup truck was on top of four of the victims when authorities arrived. Good Samaritans held the driver until police arrived, authorities said.
Hyden, from Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, 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 operator of a motor vehicle.
The FDNY worked alongside NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit to remove the patients from under the vehicle, according to authorities. Two of the people killed in the crash were mother and son: 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney and 38-year-old Herman Pinkney. The other woman who died has not been named pending family notification.
A 30-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. The other six people injured in the crash — including an 11-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman — were in stable condition.
First responders smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath at the scene, police said. Tests are being conducted to determine whether the driver was intoxicated during the incident, they added. Authorities said that terrorism is not suspected at this time, although the investigation is ongoing.
Eyewitness News obtained exclusive surveillance video as the truck drives eastbound down Water Street at a high rate of speed. Officials say the truck sped through the intersection of Water Street and Cherry Street, slammed into a fence, and then barreled through a crowd, including a family that was having a Fourth of July picnic at the time.
A law enforcement official estimates the suspect, 44-year-old Daniel Hyden of South Brunswick, New Jersey, was driving at about 40 mph. It remains unclear where he was allegedly drinking before he crashed through two sets of fences and struck the pedestrians.
Hyden was charged with eight counts of assault recklessly causing a serious injury with a weapon, aggravated vehicular homicide killing more than one person, driving while intoxicated, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second-degree.
First responders arrived on the scene within three minutes and found four victims pinned under the grey Ford F-150 pickup truck in Corlears Hook Park. The FDNY worked alongside NYPD ESU to remove the patients from under the vehicle.
Police said Ana Morel, 43, was killed along with 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney and her 38-year-old son Herman Pinkney.
“She always made sure I was the one that understands life in a very serious note,” said Diamon Pinkey, Lucille Pinkey’s son. “She taught me everything, how life works, how it works.”
One injured victim is in critical condition, while six others were listed in stable condition. The youngest of the injured is just 11 years old.
“Once he did that hard right turn so many people started screaming. He turned into the batting field, that’s where we normally barbecue. It’s a family that we all know. The Lower East Side bands together,” a neighbor said.
Police say Hyden is suspected of drunk driving. He was pinned down by good Samaritans and held until police arrived on the scene. He declined a breathalyzer and blood was drawn, police said.
Hyden has a couple of prior arrests in New York City for assaults. In February, he was charged with assault and harassment for punching a teacher in the eye. He also has a 2015 arrest for driving under the influence in Wisconsin. He pleaded guilty to a traffic offense and the case was dismissed.
Hyden is a substance-abuse counselor and author of “The Sober Addict,” a 2020 book described as “a practical guide on how to effectively live and cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.”
“I just say karma will come at you,” said Crystal Jimenez. “What goes around comes around. And I just pray God has mercy on your soul.”
Source: Fox News, WABC
