A New Jersey man has been convicted of murder and other charges for driving drunk and crashing into a crowd of people celebrating the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side last year, killing four and injuring seven others, prosecutors said Monday.

Daniel Hyden, 46, of Monmouth Junction, was found guilty of four counts of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of second-degree assault and three counts of third-degree assault.

What You Need To Know

A judge convicted 46-year-old Daniel Hyden of four counts of second-degree murder and other charges in the 2024 Fourth of July crash on the Lower East Side

Prosecutors said Hyden drove drunk through a fence at Corlears Hook Park, killing four people and injuring seven others

The victims were identified as Lucille Pinkney, Herman Pinkney, Ana Morel and Emily Ruiz

Hyden faces sentencing on Wednesday, Dec. 3

“Family and friends were enjoying a Fourth of July barbeque in Corlears Hook Park before their lives were drastically and tragically changed forever. Daniel Hyden was intoxicated when he drove through a fence, killing Lucille Pinkney, Herman Pinkney, Ana Morel, and Emily Ruiz, as well as injuring seven others,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “While this verdict won’t bring them back to life, I hope that this conviction can bring at least some measure of comfort for their friends and family.”

Prosectors said Hyden was driving his Ford F-150 pickup truck northbound on Water Street while intoxicated when he blew through a stop sign, sped through a construction zone and then veered over a sidewalk at speeds up to 54 mph.

He then plowed through a chain-link fence and into a group of people gathered in the park, according to the DA’s office.

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 Morel, 43, died at the scene. Ruiz, 30, was pronounced dead five days later. Four other victims suffered serious injuries, and three sustained facial lacerations and other minor wounds, according to prosecutors.

Hyden is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, Dec. 3.