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Daniel Christopher Hyden, 44, is accused of driving a pickup truck onto a sidewalk in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and into people celebrating at Crolears Hook Park, NYPD said.
Hyden has been charged with driving while intoxicated and not having a valid driver’s licence.
He could face additional charges over the three deaths, sources told the New York Post.
Hyden is the author of the 2020 book The Sober Addict, which intends to help addicts, family members, enablers and helpers “find unconventional ways to combat addiction from Onset to Remission,” according to its synopsis, and serve as a guide to help those “function with this dysfunctional and chronic illness.”
In the book, Hyden describes himself as an “ex-professional addict … with over 18 years of use and abuse experience” and claims “addicts don’t choose addiction — addiction chooses them.”
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He penned: “My passion is to help my addicted clients successfully move through the various ‘stages of change’ to prevent their deaths.”
His author bio on Amazon lists him as a substance abuse counselor, instructor, public speaker, and wellness advocate in New York City.
“His mission is to use his lifelong experience with addiction to teach addicts how to save themselves and achieve long-term recovery,” it says.
In 2015, Hyden was charged with a traffic offence and driving under the influence in Wisconsin, according to court records obtained by the Post.
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The Ford F-150 that mowed down the group reportedly came down a street “at a high rate of speed” shortly before 9 p.m. on Thursday.
The pickup truck went through an intersection, blew past a stop sign, jumped onto the sidewalk and into the park, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said during a news conference.
When emergency crews arrived, they found the truck on top of four of the victims.
Two victims were confirmed dead at the scene; a third victim was later pronounced dead, a police spokesperson confirmed.
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