NJ man convicted of drunk-driving murder in July 4th crash that killed 4 in NYC park

Brittany Kriegstein

Published Nov 3, 2025

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A photo of a gray Ford F-150 that crashed into a park on July 4th.

Liam Quigley/Gothamist

Brittany Kriegstein

Published Nov 3, 2025

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A New Jersey man was convicted Monday of murder and other charges for driving drunk and killing four people at a Manhattan park where they were celebrating July Fourth last year.

Prosecutors argued at trial that 46-year-old Monmouth resident Daniel Hyden was intoxicated when he drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck over a sidewalk, through a chain-link fence and into a crowd of family and friends barbecuing at Corlears Hook Park on the Lower East Side around 9 p.m. He was going more than 50 mph at the time and didn’t hit the brakes until a half-second before the fatal crash, prosecutors said.

Those killed included Lucille Pinkney, 59, and Herman Pinkney, 38 — a mother and son who lived nearby at NYCHA’s Vladeck Houses — Ana Morel, 43, and Emily Ruiz, 30, another Vladeck Houses resident. Prosecutors said seven other people were struck and injured by the truck or by debris; four of them were hurt so seriously they had a hard time walking.

Hyden tried to flee the scene by reversing the truck to keep driving, but witnesses pulled the key out of the ignition, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case, but was convicted on second-degree murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and assault.

“While this verdict won’t bring them back to life, I hope that this conviction can bring at least some measure of comfort for their friends and family,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Monday, calling the crash a “horrific act of vehicular violence.”

Hyden once worked for a substance abuse center in East Harlem, according to police officials and an employee at the site. Records show he earned a master’s degree in psychology and addiction counseling from Aspen University in 2022.

Hyden is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 3 to be sentenced. His lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.

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Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].

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