Three people were killed when a driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a crowd celebrating the holiday at a New York City park Thursday, officials said.
A pickup truck “driving at a high rate of speed” ran through an intersection, went up on the sidewalk and struck the crowd at Corlears Hook Park in Manhattan around 8:55 p.m., police said.
The driver was identified by police on Friday morning as Daniel C. Hyden, 44, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.
New York officials initially said three people were killed and seven others injured. As of Friday morning, police say that tally rose to eight injured.
Lucille Pinkney, 59, and Hernan Pinkney, 38, died in the collision, authorities said. The third victim was not named, but identified as a woman.
Of the injured, one person was hospitalized in critical condition, and seven others suffered minor injuries, including an 11-year-old boy, police said.
The park, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side next to the East River, was full of families “celebrating on a beautiful Fourth of July evening,” New York Police Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey said at a news conference.
Mayor Eric Adams said a tragedy occurred as families were barbecuing and enjoying the evening.
“It appears as though at this time, based on preliminary investigation, that the driver was under the influence,” Adams said. “This is extremely early. We’re going to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Maddrey said responding officers “did smell some alcohol, but we are still in the process of doing testing.”
The driver was speeding east on Water Street in a Ford F-150, went through an intersection and “through the stop sign, up onto the sidewalk, into Corlears Hook Park, and struck people who were out enjoying the evening,” Maddrey said.
When first responders arrived at the park, “they encountered a pickup truck on top of four victims,” Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Michael Meyers said.
People at the park “grabbed the driver, removed the driver and made sure the driver didn’t leave until first responders made it to the scene,” Maddrey said.
Hyden was arrested at the scene and taken to a hospital with head and facial lacerations. Police said he was not wearing seatbelt and he had a suspended license. He refused all testing as police noted there was “suspicion of impairment.”
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