The alleged drunk driver in the fatal LES accident is an addiction counselor

The alleged drunk driver who mowed down 11 people, killing three of them, at an Independence Day celebration on the Lower East Side calls himself an “addict” and presents himself as a well-meaning drug counselor and positive example for others struggling with their addiction.

Daniel Christopher Hyden, 44, wrote “The Sober Addict,” a book detailing his deepest experiences with alcohol that he hoped would save lives – but authorities said his demons caused tragic deaths instead.

“I told him this would happen one day. I told him,” Hyden’s ex-girlfriend, with whom he has a 12-year-old daughter, told The Post on Friday.

“This is shocking because he hurt people,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous. “He killed people. This hurts me so much.”

Alcohol was the reason for the separation, she explained.

Police sources believe Hyden got into a fight with a bouncer at a downtown bar on Thursday night after he was denied entry to the bar because he was already too drunk.

The bouncer agreed to refund his ticket to the Fourth of July party and sent him on his way about an hour before the fatal accident at nearby Corlears Hook Park, the sources said.

Hyden was charged with aggravated manslaughter and other offenses after he allegedly drove a gray Ford F-150 across the sidewalk at the intersection of Water and Jackson streets shortly before 9 p.m., driving into the park at people celebrating the holiday, police said.

The former New Jersey resident, who now lives in the Bronx, according to neighbors, wrote “The Sober Addict” in 2020. The work is touted as “a practical guide to living effectively and dealing with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.”

“In the pages of DC Hyden’s book, addicts, family members, supporters and helpers will find unconventional ways to fight addiction from onset to remission,” the summary states.

“This guide will help you cope with this dysfunctional and chronic illness.”

In the book, Hyden, who has been arrested at least three times in New York City and whose criminal record extends to Wisconsin, describes himself as a “former professional addict … with over 18 years of experience in drug use and abuse” and claims, “Addicts don’t choose addiction – addiction chooses them.”

“My passion is to help my addicted clients successfully move through the various ‘stages of change’ to prevent their death,” he wrote.

Hyden also revealed that he has “taken many mug shots over the years.”

“I vacillate between heady happiness, ‘fight night bruises,’ Tasmanian devil rage, and hopeless depression,” he wrote in the book. “Like many others with my illness, my encounters with the police and in prison have been attributed to my use and abuse.”

Hyden further described his time in prison as “humiliating, degrading and even enlightening,” recalling feeling a “sense of finality” when “those metal doors slammed shut behind me.”

“I was afraid I wouldn’t make it out alive,” he wrote. “Most addicts end up in prison at some point. It’s almost like a rite of passage. The more I was in prison, the less people helped me get out.”

Hyden’s author bio on Amazon lists him as a drug counselor, educator, speaker and health 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.

Hyden has apparently spent several years studying addiction and recovery and earned a master’s degree in psychology and addiction counseling, according to records from Aspen University in Denver, Colorado. The university did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

He has also held several positions mentoring other addicts, most recently as Program Director at Services for UnderServed (SUS), a nonprofit organization based in Midtown Manhattan.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he started this job just three months ago.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of yesterday’s tragedy. Our condolences go out to the friends and families of the victims. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment further,” an SUS spokesman said in a statement on Friday.

He also recently worked as a consultant at Montefiore and as an addiction therapist at Lincoln Hospital, part of NYC Health + Hospitals. Montefiore could not be reached for comment Friday.

“He worked for us for less than six months in 2021,” a NY Health spokesperson confirmed in a statement.

Hyden kept his head down and ignored reporters’ questions about the fatal crash as officers escorted him out of the NYPD’s 7th Precinct on Pitt Street on Friday afternoon. He also faces charges of drunken driving and possession of an invalid license, as well as eight counts of second-degree assault – and was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Horrifying surveillance footage showed the truck speeding down the road and showing no signs of slowing at the intersection immediately before the crash.

The car jumped the curb and hit a fence – which did nothing to stop it – sending sparks into the air as the vehicle careened toward the family, the video shows.

Two of the dead were identified as Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Herman Pinkney, 38, who lived together near the accident scene. The third man had not been identified Friday.

The other eight injured included Herman’s longtime girlfriend Jessica Pellot and her 11-year-old son, Jacob Velazquez, who was “traumatized” by the loss of his father figure, according to his relatives told The Post.

Hyden suffered cuts to his head and face and was initially taken to Bellevue Hospital, police said.

As he was being led out of the Lower East Side district, a relative of Pinkney’s yelled at him: “You don’t deserve air! My sister and my nephew. Remember their names.”

Additional reporting by Caitlin McCormack