Drunk driver in NYC 4th of July fatal crash sentenced to 24 years-to-life in prison
The New Jersey man convicted of driving drunk and killing four people at a Fourth of July celebration in New York City has been sentenced to 24 years-to-life in state prison.
Daniel Hyden, 46, was found guilty last November on a host of charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and multiple assault counts. Hyden is a former substance abuse counselor who had prior DUIs, prosecutors said.
Lucille Pinkney, 59, her son Herman Pinkney, 38, Ana Morel, 43, and 39-year-old Emily Ruiz were killed as a result of the crash on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Seven other people were injured.
"Still very hard to deal with"
Victims and family members of those killed addressed Hyden in court during the sentencing.
"The last image I have of Herman, my beloved soulmate and partner, lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood beneath that car," Pinkney's partner Jessica Pellot said. "Alongside him I saw Emily, full of life just moments before, now taken from us."
"The only reason that I lived was because four other people were dying under the car is still very hard to deal with," said Halena Herrera, who was among those who were struck.
"While this prison sentence will not reverse the fatalities, injuries, and trauma, I hope this sentencing brings a measure of comfort for those who were impacted by this mass casualty event. If you are intoxicated, do not get behind the wheel – it risks the lives of others, and you will be prosecuted," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said following Friday's sentencing hearing.
"This was an accident and I'm sorry"
Hyden's attorney told the judge his client had previously served in the military, wrote and self published a book called "The Sober Addict," and asked her to to take into consideration that Hyden did not go into a playground and shoot up a bunch of people, and said this was not an intentional act. That statement drew gasps from those seated in the gallery.
Hyden told the court he relapsed following the hit-and-run death of his sister in 2021, and apologized to everyone, including first responders, on the scene that day.
"What I'm dealing with is not an excuse. What kind of human being would put others through the same thing he went through," Hyden said. "This was an accident, and I'm sorry ... I'm not worth to say the names [of the victims]."
The judge sentenced him 24 years-to-life, telling him his actions demonstrated "at least on that date you valued human life slightly, if at all," adding he chose to engage in highly risky actions he "knew could lead to someone's death."
"I don't believe any of it. He has shown no remorse," Herrera said.
"I want him to stay in there for the rest of his life," Diamond Pinkney said.
"Each Fourth of July serves as a bitter reminder not just of loss, but of all that moments that could have been," one person said.
Hyden's defense attorney says they will be appealing the murder conviction, because they don't believe the elements of those crimes were met.
4 killed in July 4th crash in Manhattan
Prosecutors said Hyden, of Monmouth Junction, was intoxicated and speeding when he crashed his Ford F-150 pickup truck into the crowd celebrating at Corlears Hook Park on July 4, 2024.
Lucille Pinkney, Herman Pinkney and Morel died at the scene, while Ruiz was pronounced dead five days later.
Seven more people were hurt in the crash, including four who suffered serious head, arm and back injuries, and three who had cuts to their faces and other minor injures, Bragg said.
Driver tried to flee, witnesses testified
According to prosecutors, Hyden drove his pickup truck through a construction zone, onto a sidewalk and through a chain link fence before crashing in the park. He then tried to put the truck in reverse to leave the scene, but witnesses took the key from the ignition and stopped him, prosecutors said.
Hyden's defense attorneys argued his foot was injured and he lost control, but the judge rejected that claim. Trial witnesses said they pulled Hyden from the truck and beat him, while a responding officer testified about having to separate him from the crowd.