The case drew attention to a sequence that preceded the crash: police who responded to an earlier disturbance involving Hyden at a nearby party boat did not arrest him, instead walking him to a park bench and leaving, after which he got behind the wheel.
A New Jersey man convicted of murder for driving drunk through a holiday barbecue at a Manhattan park, killing four people, was sentenced Friday to 24 years to life in prison.
Judge April A. Newbauer imposed the sentence against Daniel Hyden, 46, of Monmouth, New Jersey, in state court in Manhattan. Hyden had been convicted in November at a non-jury trial of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges in the deaths of Ana Morel, 43; Lucille Pinkney, 59; her son, Herman Pinkney, 38; and Emily Ruiz, 30. Seven others were hurt in the crash, which occurred on July 4, 2024, at Corlears Hook Park in Manhattan.
Halena Herrera, a survivor struck in the face by debris, said the outcome offered a qualified form of relief.
“I’m glad that at least now there’s some sense of justice,” Herrera told reporters. “It doesn’t help much. It doesn’t bring anything back, but it’s good to have it over with, so I’m happy for that.”
Diamond Pinkney, Lucille’s son and Herman’s brother, said the sentence was “a big relief” and that Hyden “knew what he did, he knew the possibility he could’ve caused and he did it.”
How the crash happened
Prosecutors said that less than an hour before the crash, police responded to an incident in which Hyden had been refused entry to a nearby party boat and clashed with security. Officers testified they witnessed nothing warranting an arrest and walked Hyden to a park bench before leaving.
He then got behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Prosecutors said he accelerated through a stop sign at 39 mph, drove through a construction zone and reached speeds of up to 54 mph before the truck jumped a curb, bulldozed a chain-link fence and plowed into the group gathered for the holiday barbecue. Hyden was pressing the gas pedal fully and did not brake until half a second before impact, prosecutors said. He then tried to put the vehicle in reverse; witnesses pulled the keys from the ignition to stop him.
Hyden’s attorney suggested he had a foot injury that complicated his driving.
Apology and survivors’ response
Standing in a courtroom packed with victims, relatives of those killed and about two dozen officers, Hyden described the crash as an “accident” and said he was still processing the harm he caused.
“I’m processing how deeply disturbed and deeply hurt I was and still am. And I’m still processing the amount of people I hurt with my actions,” he said.
Hyden said he had broken his sobriety after his sister was killed by a drunk driver in New Jersey in 2021. At the time of the July 2024 crash, he was preparing to speak at that driver’s sentencing. Hyden, who worked as a substance abuse counselor and wrote a 2020 book about coping with addiction, asked: “What kind of human being would put other human beings through the same thing he was going through?”
Herrera rejected his expressions of remorse. “He has shown no remorse from the very beginning, so for him to sit there and say that he’s sorry is just — I don’t believe any of it,” she told reporters.
“Learning that the only reason I lived was because four other people were dying under the car is still very hard to deal with,” Herrera said.
DA statement and what survivors want
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement: “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.”
Herrera and Diamond Pinkney both said they want Hyden to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.
Herrera, who is studying to become a therapist, said the crash left her with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She said she stays strong for her 7-year-old son, but the trauma shapes her daily life.
“Every day, I’m worried that something else can happen,” she said. “You know of it — you know that death happens, you know that accidents happen and things happen. But to live it is a different thing.”