Alice Gainer joined CBS News New York as a reporter and anchor in January 2013. She covers breaking, feature and general assignment stories.
Tuesday was the second day of the trial of Daniel Hyden, the man accused of driving drunk and plowing into a crowd of people on the Lower East Side on July 4, 2024.
Four people were killed and seven others were injured as they celebrated the holiday at a barbecue in Corlears Hook Park.
It's a bench trial, meaning there's no jury and the judge will decide the outcome. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.
Hyden has pleaded not guilty to charges, including murder and assault.
More witnesses, a responding officer, and a doctor with the Medical Examiner's Office took the stand Tuesday.
Police bodycam video of the scene was shown in court.
Witnesses testified they pulled Hyden out of the truck and beat him. A responding officer testified about separating him from the crowd.
That same officer testified about an incident at Pier 36 prior to the crash where Hyden appeared intoxicated. Hyden was denied entry to a party boat and got into a fight with security, and police responded. Hyden was walked off the premises to a bench, where officers eventually left him.
Hyden's defense attorney argued Hyden's driving foot was injured in the fight with boat security. He had no comment after court.
Video from the barbecue taken earlier in the evening shows friends and family laughing and dancing in a conga line. The man who filmed the video and some of those seen on the footage would later be killed.
More witnesses and family members testified on Tuesday, reliving the horror.
One man said the crash "sounded like an explosion," adding, "There was blood everywhere."
A young woman said she continued to hear the truck engine revving after the crash.
The lead prosecutor was seen leaving court with a copy of a book Hyden wrote about how to live and cope with addiction.
Relatives of Lucille and Herman Pinkney, a mother and son who were killed, said they plan to attend as much of the trial as they can.
"I find it hard, especially when they started naming my mom and brother," said Diamond Pinkney, Lucille's son and Herman's brother.
"We're gonna fight for justice. Families stick together," said Liana Lewis, Lucille's sister and Herman's aunt.