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Ana Morel, 43; Emily Ruiz, 30; Lucille Pinkney, 59; and a
nephew, Herman Pinkney, 38, were killed in the crash in Corlears
Hook Park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
“These individuals tragically died because of Mr. Hyden's
irresponsible, callous, criminal actions,” Manhattan District
Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters after the verdict. Seven
other crash victims suffered injuries that still afflict many of
them, he said.
Hyden, 46, of Monmouth, New Jersey, also was convicted of
assault and aggravated vehicular homicide, Bragg's office said.
Text and email messages seeking comment were sent to Hyden's
attorney.
Less than an hour before the wreck, Hyden was refused entry to a
nearby party boat and clashed with security, according to
testimony from police who responded to the boat scuffle. The
officers testified that they didn't witness anything warranting
an arrest at that point, so they walked him to a park bench and
departed.
He subsequently got behind the wheel of a Ford F-150.
Prosecutors argued that Hyden — who wrote a 2020 book about
coping with addiction — was drunk, was speeding and didn't hit
the brakes until half a second before he hit the crowd, trapping
four people beneath the truck. Prosecutors said he then tried to
put the vehicle in reverse, but witnesses grabbed the keys to
stop him.
Hyden's lawyer suggested that the man had a foot injury that
complicated his driving.
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