Suspected drunk driver in horror LES crash that left 3 dead is a substance-abuse counselor who wrote ‘The Sober Addict’

The suspected drunk driver accused of mowing down 11 people, killing three, at a Fourth of July celebration on the Lower East Side is a substance-abuse counselor and author of “The Sober Addict” — who claims his passion is to help “prevent death,” The Post can reveal.

Daniel Christopher Hyden, 44, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and other raps after he allegedly drove a gray Ford F-150 through the Water Street and Jackson Street intersection, over the sidewalk and into people celebrating at Corlears Hook Park, according to police.

He held his head down and ignored questions about the deadly crash from reporters as officers walked him out of the NYPD’s 7th precinct Friday afternoon. He also faces charges of driving while intoxicated and for not having a valid license, as well as eight counts of assault in the second-degree.

Hyden — who has lived in New Jersey and currently resides in The Bronx — penned a 2020 book called “the Sober Addict,” which is billed as “a practical guide on how to effectively live and cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.”

“‘The Sober Addict’ is a book for all those impacted by the disease addiction. Within the pages of DC Hyden’s book, addicts, family members, enablers, and helpers will find unconventional ways to combat addiction from Onset to Remission,” the synopsis reads.

“This guide will help you learn how to function with this dysfunctional and chronic illness.”

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In the book, Hyden, who has at least three prior arrests in New York City and a rap sheet that spans to Wisconsin, describes himself as an “ex-professional addict…with over 18 years of use and abuse experience” and claims “addicts don’t choose addiction — addiction chooses them.”

“My passion is to help my addicted clients successfully move through the various ‘stages of change’ to prevent their deaths,” he wrote.

Hyden also revealed he has “taken many mugshots over the years”.

“I go from intoxicatingly happy to ‘fight night bruised’ to Tasmanian devil angry to not having a hope in the world depressed,” he wrote in the book. “Like many with my disease, my encounters with law enforcement and incarceration have been attributed to my use and abuse.”

Hyden went on to describe his stints in jail as “humbling, demeaning and even enlightening” and recalled that he felt a “sense of finality” when “those metal doors clanked behind me.

“I had anxiety that I might not make it out alive,” he wrote. “Most addicts will eventually get locked up. It’s almost like a right of passage. The more times I went to jail the fewer times people helped me get released.”

Hyden’s Amazon author bio lists him as a substance Abuse Counselor, instructor, public speaker, and wellness advocate in New York City.

“His mission is to use his lifelong experience with addiction to teach addicts how to save themselves and achieve long-term recovery,” it says.

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He appears to have dedicated several years to educating himself on addiction and recovery, having obtained a master’s in psychology and addiction counseling, according to records from Aspen University in Denver, Colorado, which did not return a request for comment Friday.

Hyden had also held several positions where he mentored other addicts and was most recently employed by Services for UnderServed (SUS), a non-profit organization based in Midtown, Manhattan, as a program director.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he started that job just three months ago.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of yesterday’s tragedy. Our hearts go out to the victims’ friends and family. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment further,” a SUS spokesperson told The Post in a statement Friday.

He has also recently worked as a counselor at Montefiore and an addiction clinician at Lincoln Hospital, which is part of NYC Health + Hospitals.

“He worked for us for fewer than six months in 2021,” a NY Health spokesperson confirmed in a statement.

Montefiore could not be reached for comment on Friday.

In a series of posts on various social media platforms, Hyden described himself as a “weightlifter” and often documented his workouts on video.

Law enforcement sources said police believe Hyden got into a fight with a bouncer at a downtown bar not far from Corlears Hook Park Thursday night after he was refused entry for already being too drunk.

The bouncer agreed to refund him for the ticket to the Fourth of July party and sent him on his way about an hour before the crash, the sources said.

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Terrifying surveillance footage showed the truck barreling down the street with no signs of slowing down at the intersection just before the crash.

The car jumped the curb and into a fence — which did nothing to stop it — sending sparks into the air as the vehicle hurled toward the family, the video shows.

Two of those killed were identified as Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Herman Pinkney, 38 — who lived together near the crash scene — as the third remained unidentified Friday.

Two of those killed late Thursday were identified as Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Herman Pinkney, 38 — who lived together near the crash scene — as the third remained unidentified early Friday.

The other eight injured included a mother and her 11-year-old son, according to sources.

Two were treated with minor injuries.

Hyden sustained head and facial lacerations and was transported to Bellevue Hospital, police said.

His rap sheet includes a prior assault in February. Hyden was charged with assault and harassment following a dispute with a teacher in New York. He allegedly punched the victim in the eye.

In 2015, Hyden was charged with a traffic offense and driving under the influence in Wisconsin, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the former charge and the latter was dismissed.

-Additional reporting by Desheania Andrews

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