Alleged drunk driver charged after NYC crash kills 3 at July 4th celebration
NEW YORK CITY - The alleged drunk driver who plowed his vehicle into a crowd inside a NYC park, killing 3 people, was charged in connection to the crash, the NYPD said.
According to police, Daniel Hyden, 44, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, is charged with multiple counts of driving while under the influence and driving without a license.
"Responding officers who did arrive on the scene did smell some alcohol," said NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. "There were people who were there at the scene who grabbed the driver, removed the driver and made sure the driver didn't leave."
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Community mourns mother, son killed at July 4th celebration in Corlears Hook Park
A neighbor who witnessed the crash blocks away said that the mother and son were like family to the community. "They were dear to us."
Police said Hyden was driving a Gray Ford F-150 when he allegedly sped down Water Street through an intersection on Thursday just before 9 p.m., drove up onto the sidewalk and plowed into people gathered at Corlears Hook Park, just off the FDR Drive.
Eleven people were struck during the middle of 4th of July celebrations in Lower Manhattan, the NYPD said. One person remains in critical condition.
"They [FDNY] encountered a pickup truck on top of four victims," said FDNY Assistant Chief, Michael Meyers. "They used their airbags, floor jacks and cribbing in order to lift the vehicle off of the victims."
Police say three of the four victims under the truck died. All three, authorities say, were adults. The victims have been identified as 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney, and her son, 38-year-old Hernan Pinkney, along with 43-year-old Ana Morel.
Obtained by Robert Moses: Lucille Pinkney and her son Hernan Pinkney
One neighbor described the Pinkneys as ‘family’ to everyone in the neighborhood. Tamara Velasquez, who's lived near FDR Drive her whole life, was two blocks away from the park when the crash happened.
"They were dear to us, you know, we were like a family," Velasquez said.
Velasquez says Hernan and his mother were loving. Hernan leaves behind a wife and young children.
"When I found out last night I couldn't sleep," she said. "If you knew Herman, that was like your nephew."
Velasquez says the community wants justice and called on NYC Mayor Eric Adams to "do something positive to make their lives count."
She claims nearby construction has left the community with limited places to gather near the East River.