July 8, 2024
Forty-four-year-old Daniel Christopher Hyden drove a pickup truck into a New York City park, killing three while injuring eight others.
On July 4, an alleged drunk driver plowed into a Lower East Side park in New York City, killing three people and injuring eight others.
According to ABC 7 New York, 44-year-old Daniel Christopher Hyden was driving a pickup truck when he drove into Corlears Hook Park at around 8:55 p.m., where people were enjoying themselves at a BBQ and striking almost a dozen people. Police officials have charged him 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.
Hyden is being held without bail and faces anywhere between up to 25 years in prison if the accident is treated as one criminal act. If convicted consecutively, he could be imprisoned for up to 52 years.
Authorities said 43-year-old Ana Morel, 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney, and 38-year-old Herman Pinkney were the victims killed when Hyden struck with his vehicle. The youngest injured victim was only 11. One person was listed in critical condition, while six were listed in stable condition.
Hyden was allegedly driving on a suspended license for failing to answer a summons four times on three separate dates.
An investigation led police to discover that Hyden was driving the truck at about 40 mph. He crashed through two sets of fences and struck the victims. Before the accident, they say he attempted to attend a boat party on Pier 36 but was denied entry due to being too drunk. He got into an altercation with a bouncer before his money was refunded, and he left the location.
A witness to the tragedy stated, “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.”
Fox 5 NY reported that a little street justice was applied before police officers arrived at the scene.
Court documents revealed that when police officers arrived, Hyden was “on the ground next to the truck’s driver-side door.” Investigators cited that he was “bloodied and wearing pants, but no shirt or shoes, and when he stood up, his balance was uneven.”
Hyden’s friend, Thomas Curto, who appeared in court for his friend’s arraignment, said, “There was a little street justice that he got. He has a fat lip and a swollen eye. He was trying to get away.”
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Prosecutors also revealed that Hyden is a substance abuse counselor who wrote a book called “The Sober Addict.”
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