No bail for driver accused of killing 3, injuring 8 while driving drunk

July 6 (UPI) -- A Manhattan Criminal Court judge ordered Daniel Hyden held without bail on manslaughter charges and other offenses for allegedly killing three and injuring eight while driving drunk on Independence Day.

Judge Robert Mandelbaum declined bail for Hyden during an arraignment hearing Saturday.

Hyden, 44, is accused of driving drunk while his license is suspended and plowing into a group of Fourth of July celebrants on Manhattan's lower east side Thursday evening.

The South Brunswick, N.J., resident is facing charges of three counts of vehicular homicide and eight counts of assault recklessly causing a serious injury with a weapon.

He also is accused of driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

If convicted, Hyden could spend more than 25 years in prison.

Hyden, a substance abuse counselor, drove a gray Ford F-150 pickup through an intersection at Water Street and Cherry Street in Manhattan, plowed through a fence, and drove through a crowd at Corlears Hook Park.

The truck struck 11, including several members of a family enjoying an Independence Day picnic.

The dead are identified as Lucille Pinkney, 59, her son Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43.

Police responded to the accident scene about 3 minutes after it occurred and found four people trapped beneath the F-150.

One of the eight people injured is hospitalized in critical condition while six others are in stable condition.

Police estimate Hyden was travelingabout 40 mph when he crashed through the fence and drove through the crowd.

Several witnesses held Hyden down until police arrived and arrested him.

Hyden refused to take a breathalyzer, so police drew blood to test him for drugs and alcohol.

Prosecutors during Saturday's arraignment hearing said Hyden was driving despite having a suspended license due to ignoring a summons several times.

He also has several prior arrests for assault in New York City, including in February when he was charged with harassment and assault after striking a teacher.

He also has a 2015 arrest in Wisconsin for driving under the influence but pleaded guilty to a traffic offense.

Hyden in 2020 wrote a book entitled " The Sober Addict " and is a substance-abuse counselor in New Jersey.