A New Jersey man was sentenced Friday to 24 years to life in prison for driving drunk and crashing into a crowd of people celebrating the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side in 2024, killing four and injuring seven others, prosecutors said.

Daniel Hyden, 46, of Monmouth Junction, was sentenced in state Supreme Court after being convicted in November of four counts of second-degree murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and multiple assault charges stemming from the crash at Corlears Hook Park.

What You Need To Know

Daniel Hyden was sentenced Friday to 24 years to life in prison for driving drunk and crashing into a crowd of people celebrating the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side in 2024, killing four and injuring seven others

Prosecutors said Hyden drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck through a stop sign, a construction zone and onto a sidewalk while intoxicated before crashing through a chain-link fence and into a crowd gathered for a holiday barbecue

Lucille Pinkney, 59, her son Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43, died at the scene. Emily Ruiz, 30, was pronounced dead five days later

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Hyden drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck through a stop sign, a construction zone and onto a sidewalk while intoxicated before crashing through a chain-link fence and into a crowd gathered for a holiday barbecue.

An investigation revealed Hyden put his foot down on the gas pedal and did not break until half a second before the crash.

In total, four victims became trapped under the truck, and seven others were either struck or hit by debris, prosecutors said. Witnesses stopped Hyden from fleeing the scene by removing the truck’s key from the ignition, the DA’s office said.

Lucille Pinkney, 59, her son Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43, died at the scene. Emily Ruiz, 30, was pronounced dead five days later.

Four other victims suffered serious head, arm and back injuries that made it difficult for them to walk, while three others sustained facial lacerations and minor injuries, prosecutors said.

“While this prison sentence will not reverse the fatalities, injuries, and trauma, I hope this sentencing brings a measure of comfort for those who were impacted by this mass casualty event,” Bragg said in a statement. “If you are intoxicated, do not get behind the wheel — it risks the lives of others, and you will be prosecuted.”