Mother, son among 3 dead as alleged drunk trucker careens into crowded Manhattan park

Three people are dead, including a mother and son, and more than a half-dozen are injured after a suspected drunken driver blew through a stop sign, jumped a sidewalk and plowed into a Manhattan park where families were outside celebrating the fireworks Thursday night, authorities say.

Police say the driver, identified by three senior police officials early Friday as Daniel Hyden, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, careened into the Lower East Side's Corlears Hook Park around 9 p.m., not long before the annual Macy's Fourth of July display was to kick into full gear.

Witnesses pulled him out of the truck and held him until officers arrived, authorities said. He was treated for head and facial lacerations, and later charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated vehicular homicide, assault and driving without a license.

It wasn't clear if Hyden had obtained an attorney.

Authorities say a total of 11 people were hit, including the three who lost their lives when the gray pickup truck tore past the stop sign near Water Street and Jackson Street around 9 p.m., officials said.

First responders quickly made it to the scene and found four people trapped underneath the truck.

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The dead were identified by senior police officials as 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney, her 38-year-old son, Herman Pinkney, and 43-year-old Ana Morel. A fourth person -- a 30-year-old woman -- was hospitalized in critical condition.

"I forgive you. But I hope we can get justice for my brother and my mother," Diamond Pinkney said in an emotional plea. "Mom, Herman — I love you, I'm gonna do ya’ll proud...She pushed the hardest to make sure we had everything we needed in life...My brother, I had a wonderful bond with him that no one understands."

Herman's partner, Jessica Pellot said she was "destroyed" by what happened, saying the driver "took everything from me."

"He was my best friend my soulmate, his mom was my best friend," said Pellot.

The eight other victims, who include an 11-year-old boy, were treated for minor injuries, senior police officials said.

The driver appeared to have alcohol on his breath, according to NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey. Investigators believe that played a role in the tragic incident. They suspect no nexus to terror.

Two senior police officials told NBC New York that the incident appears to have come after a fight at Pier 36 between Hyden and another man around 8 p.m. The venue would not allow him to enter because he was too drunk, according to police officials, which set him off, as he said he had already paid for a ticket.

The venue refunded him and he drove off. About 50 minutes later, the crash occurred. Surveillance video obtained by NBC New York showed the truck speeding down Water Street, blowing through a stop sign just moments before it plowed into the crowd at the park.

Due to a police investigation, avoid the vicinity of Water Street and Jackson Street in Manhattan. Expect a police presence & residual traffic delays in the surrounding area. pic.twitter.com/LnNuBzXIGn

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 5, 2024