A speeding intoxicated motorist who slammed into a crowd of Fourth of July revelers in a New York City park, killing four, has been convicted of murder.
According to a press release from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Daniel Hyden, 46, was found guilty of four counts of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of third-degree assault after a bench trial on Monday, November 3.
Prosecutors said Hyden was intoxicated when he drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck past a stop sign at 39 mph on July 4, 2024, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side area. He then accelerated through a work zone at speeds of up to 54 mph before driving through a chain link fence and into the throng at Corlears Hook Park.
“Hyden had fully pressed down his gas pedal and did not hit his brakes until one-half second before the final crash,” according to the statement. “Four people were trapped underneath the pickup truck, with seven others struck and injured by the truck or debris.”
Lucille Pinkney, 59, Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43, were pronounced dead at the scene, while Emily Ruiz, 30, died five days later, according to the press announcement and The New York Times, which provided the victims’ ages.
Ruiz, a mother of a 6-year-old boy, was recalled as having a “loving nature and sincere heart,” according to a GoFundMe page. Zoila Hernandez, Morel’s mother, previously told the New York Daily News that her daughter was the finest. “I have three daughters, and she was like an angel.”
Diamond Pickney, a relative of Lucille and Herman, claimed on a GoFundMe page that the fatalities were his mother and brother. In another online campaign, loving ones stated that Herman is survived by his wife Jessica and son Jacob, both of whom were injured in the crash.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Hyden works as a substance misuse counselor and program director for groups that assist persons experiencing homelessness. He also wrote a book about sobriety called The Sober Addict.
According to the Times, prosecutors used this background as proof that Hyden was aware of his activities that night. Hyden stated in the book that he “was a real danger to others and myself when I was on the road intoxicated,” which was read in court, according to the Times.
According to CBS News, police body camera evidence shows Hyden was denied access to a boat party because he was too inebriated before to the fatal incident.
“While this verdict will not bring them back to life, I hope that this conviction will provide some comfort to their friends and family,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said in a statement.
