Drug Counselor & Author Of "The Sober Addict" Drives Drunk Into NYC BBQ, Killing 3 People

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The suspected drunk driver accused of mowing down 11 people, killing three, at a Fourth of July celebration on the Lower East Side is a self-described “addict” who painted himself as a well-meaning substance abuse counselor and positive example for others struggling with addiction.

Daniel Christopher Hyden, 44, wrote “The Sober Addict,” a book detailing his rock-bottom experiences with alcohol that he hoped would help 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 shares a 12-year-old daughter, told The Post on Friday.

“This is shocking because he hurt people,” the woman, who asked not to be identified, said. “He killed people. I’m so hurt over that.”

Alcohol was the reason the two of them split up, she noted.

Police believe Hyden got into a fight with a bouncer at a downtown bar Thursday night after he was refused entry for already being too drunk, law-enforcement sources said.

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

Hyden was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and other raps after he allegedly drove a gray Ford F-150 through the Water Street and Jackson Street intersection, over the sidewalk and into people celebrating the holiday in the park just before 9 p.m., according to police.

The former New Jersey resident, who now lives in The Bronx, according to neighbors, wrote “The Sober Addict” in 2020. The tome is billed as “a practical guide on how to effectively live and cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong disease of addiction.”

“Within the pages of DC Hyden’s book, addicts, family members, enablers, and helpers will find unconventional ways to combat addiction from Onset to Remission,” the synopsis reads.

“This guide will help you learn how to function with this dysfunctional and chronic illness.”

In the book, Hyden, who has at least three prior arrests in New York City and a long rap sheet that spans to Wisconsin, 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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