Ex-girlfriend of drunk driver who killed three in July 4 crash shocked but ‘not surprised’

The ex-girlfriend of the alleged drunk driver accused of killing three people celebrating the Fourth of July in a Manhattan park was shocked — but “not surprised” — when she learned of his involvement.

Daniel Christopher Hyden’s former girlfriend, with whom he has a 12-year-old daughter, told The Post Friday that Hyden had long struggled with alcoholism and that she once warned him that “it would happen one day.”

“He’s supposed to be sober but he’s clearly not,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.

“It’s shocking because he hurt people. He killed people. I’m so hurt by that,” she said.

“But I’m not surprised,” she continued.

“Okay, I’m not surprised. That’s why we’re not together, because of his issues.”

Hyden, a self-proclaimed drug addict and addiction counselor, is charged with drunken driving after allegedly ploughing his truck into a crowd of people celebrating Independence Day at Corlears Hook Park on the Lower East Side.

The ex-girlfriend said she had just seen Hyden last weekend when she dropped their daughter off at his home in the Bronx and that the two had gone to a fair in New Jersey together.

She said she felt “horrible” after learning what had happened.

“I told him it would happen one day. I told him that,” she said.

Hyden, 44, “has a long history” of alcohol abuse, she said — but she didn’t know if she was still drinking since their split in 2016. Her father, she said, suffered from the same addiction.

“After we broke up, he went and got his license as an alcohol and drug counselor. He went back to school to try to better himself,” she said.

“He wanted to stop. He wanted to do good. But he was sick. It’s a lifelong illness.”

His alcoholism made it difficult for him to hold down a job, she said. For a short time, he was a police officer in Georgia.

Hyden allegedly drove a gray Ford F-150 through the intersection of Water Street and Jackson Street, onto the sidewalk and into the park, hitting 11 people who were having a barbecue.

Three people were killed.

The deceased victims were identified by police as Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Hernan Pinkney, 38 — who lived together near the crash site — and Ana Morel, 43.

Park visitors who witnessed the tragedy prevented Hyden from leaving the horrific scene while waiting for police to arrive, officers said.

Hyden is charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and failing to have a valid driver’s license, as well as eight counts of second-degree assault.

Hyden was a U.S. Army veteran, according to neighbors and his Facebook profile.

He is the author of a 2020 book titled “The Sober Addict,” which is described as “a practical guide on how to live and effectively cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.”

Hyden also has a YouTube channel where he bills himself as a certified addiction recovery coach and certified personal trainer and offers addiction counseling and workout videos.

One of his Bronx neighbors, who declined to give her name, was shocked to learn that Hyden was involved in such a terrible incident, calling him a “good guy” and “funny.”

“He’s healthy. He works out. He goes to the gym,” she told the Post.

“It could have been an accident, you never know what happens,” she added.

“He was very friendly to me. He would just say ‘hello’. Not to everyone, but to me,” she said.

The building’s superintendent, Miguel, called him a “quiet” man who didn’t talk much to others.

“I thought they were good people,” he said.