A driver police say struck and killed three people in a Lower East Side park on the Fourth of July has been arraigned for the alleged drunken driving incident. 

Daniel Hyden, 44, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, is being held without bail after the crash at Corlears Hook Park, which also injured several people, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said. 


What You Need To Know

  • Daniel Hyden, 44, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, is being held without bail after the crash at Corlears Hook Park, which also injured several people, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said

  • Hyden was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck near the intersection of Jackson and Water streets around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday when he sped through a stop sign, veered onto a sidewalk and crashed into a chain-link fence, hitting several people, according to the complaint

  • His next court date is Wednesday, July 10, the DA’s office said

He faces charges including second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a complaint filed with the DA's office shows.

Hyden was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck near the intersection of Jackson and Water streets around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday when he sped through a stop sign, veered onto a sidewalk and crashed into a chain-link fence, hitting several people, according to the complaint. 

Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Hernan Pinkney, 38, who lived at NYCHA’s Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side, were pronounced dead after the crash, the NYPD said. Ana Morel, 43, of East Harlem, also died in the crash, police said. 

Eight other people were injured, including one who remained hospitalized in critical condition on Saturday, according to the complaint. 

After the crash, Hyden told a police officer that he had “had a few alcoholic drinks,” the complaint said.

Records showed Hyden’s license was suspended at the time of the crash, for “failure to answer a summons four times on three dates,” it added. 

In a statement provided to NY1, Legal Aid Society attorney Tim Pruitt, who is representing Hyden, said: “This is a very tragic case, and we extend our sincere condolences to all those impacted. But Mr. Hyden is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a zealous defense, and at this preliminary stage in the case, we caution the public from making any rush to judgment.” 

Hyden’s next court date is Wednesday, July 10, the DA’s office said.