Driver crashes into Fourth of July crowd in lower Manhattan

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Tragedy struck in lower Manhattan on the Fourth of July when a driver crashed into a crowd of people celebrating at Corlears Hook Park. On Friday, crews worked to remove the truck, hauling it away on a flatbed. Around 8:55 p.m., a pickup truck drove through a stop sign and into a group of people enjoying Independence Day near the intersection of Water and Jackson streets, close to the FDR Drive. Officials say nine people were hurt, and three of them died. Two have been identified as 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney and her 38-year-old son, Herman Pinkney. At a news conference on Thursday night, Mayor Eric Adams said, "A driver drove into a crowd of people who were just celebrating like so many New Yorkers and Americans are doing right now. Based on a preliminary investigation, the driver was under the influence. This doesn't appear to be terrorist-related." An EMS representative added, "We arrived on scene within three minutes and found a pickup truck on top of four victims. At that time, Ladder 8 and Squad 8 began to operate to get victims out of there." EMS confirmed that among the injured, two had minor injuries, while others were in serious to critical condition. News 12 New York spoke on the phone with a relative of one victim, 30-year-old Emily Ruiz, who is critically injured at Bellevue Hospital. Maria Ruiz, a relative of Emily Ruiz, said, “This was just coming to a family barbecue, a friend of the family thing. This is so, you know, talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Emily has a young child. We’re asking for everybody to pray, please just pray, please send that energy her way.” The driver has been identified as 44-year-old Hayden Daniel, of New Jersey. He is charged with three counts of DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Police say the investigation remains ongoing. "