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When Halena Herrera crosses the street, she’s always reminded of the pickup truck that plowed into her, killing her best friend and three other people. New York City Park two Independence Days ago.
Daniel Hyden was driving drunk when he drove his Ford F-150 over the curb, knocking down a chain-link fence and crashing into a group of friends and family having a holiday barbecue at Corlears Hook Park. manhattan. The truck came to rest just feet away from Herrera, stalled by the body trapped underneath.
On Friday, Judge April A. Newbauer sentenced Hyden to 24 years to life in prison for the slayings of Ana Morel, 43; Lucille Pinkney, 59; her son Herman Pinkney, 38; and Herrera’s best friend, Emily Ruiz, 30.
Seven people were injured, including Herrera, who was hit in the face by debris.
“It’s still hard to process knowing that the only reason I’m alive is because four other people died under the car,” Herrera told reporters after Hayden’s sentencing in Manhattan state court.
“I’m glad there’s at least some sense of justice now,” she said. “It doesn’t help much. It doesn’t bring any reward, but it’s good to have it over with, so I’m happy with that.”
Diamond Pinkney, Lucille’s son and Herman’s brother, said it was “a real relief” to see Hayden sentenced. The driver, a substance abuse counselor who wrote a book about coping with addiction in 2020, “knew what he did, he knew the consequences he could have, so he did it,” Pinckney said.
Hayden, 46, of Monmouth; new jerseydescribing it as an “accident” in a court apology. In November, he was found guilty of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges in a nonjury trial.
“I’m processing how deeply disturbed and hurt I was and still am. I’m still processing how many people I hurt by my actions,” he said, standing in a room packed with victims, relatives of the people he killed and about two dozen police officers.
Hayden said he lost sobriety after his own sister was killed by a drunk driver in New Jersey in 2021. He said he was preparing to speak at the driver’s sentencing when the crash occurred in July 2024.
“What kind of person would put other people through the same thing he’s going through?” Hayden asked.
Herrera scoffed at Hayden’s newfound shame, telling reporters afterward: “He never showed remorse from the beginning, so for him to sit there and apologize is just — I don’t believe any of that.”
Less than an hour after the incident, Hayden was denied entry to a nearby party boat and clashed with security. police People who responded to the boat incident testified that they saw nothing to warrant an arrest, so they took Hayden to a park bench and left.
Prosecutors said he then drove the pickup truck through a stop sign at 39 mph (63 kph), speeded through a construction zone and crossed a sidewalk at 54 mph (87 kph) before reaching the park.
Prosecutors said Hayden pressed the gas pedal fully and didn’t hit the brakes until half a second before hitting the crowd. He then attempted to reverse the vehicle, but the witness stopped him by removing the keys from the ignition.
Hayden’s attorney said he suffered an injury to his foot that complicated his driving.
“While this prison sentence will not reverse the deaths, injuries and trauma, I hope this sentence will provide some level of comfort to those affected by this mass casualty event,” the Manhattan District Attorney said. Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “If you’re drunk, don’t drive – you can endanger other people’s lives and you can be prosecuted.”
Herrera, Pinckney and both said they want Hayden to stay in prison for the rest of his life so he doesn’t have the chance to hurt others.
Herrera, who is studying to be a therapist, said she suffers from depression and struggles with post-traumatic stress — and that the horror of that night affects her daily activities. But, she said, she has to stay strong for the sake of her 7-year-old son.
“Every day, I worry that something else is going to happen,” Herrera said. “You know it – you know deaths happen, you know accidents happen, things happen. But life is something else.”
“So, the question now is: Will I get hit by a car crossing the street? Will anything happen to me?”