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Shocking footage shows moment ‘drunk’ driver crashes into Long Island nail salon, killing four people, including NYPD cop who was getting ready for wedding

Posted on by angelo

By James Gordon for Dailymail.com

00:17 02 Jul 2024, updated 00:17 02 Jul 2024

The moment a suspected drunk driver plowed into a Long Island nail salon, killing four people, including an NYPD officer, has been shown in shocking footage captured by surveillance cameras at the mall where the horrific crash occurred.

The driver of the vehicle, Steven Schwally, 64, of Dix Hills, New York, appeared in court Monday. He has so far been charged with driving while intoxicated, with more serious charges expected at a later date.

The salon owner, Jiancai Chen, 37, along with two of his employees, Meizi Zhang, 50, and Yan Xu, 41, and an off-duty NYPD officer, Emilia Rennhack, 30, were all killed in the crash. Ten other people were also injured and taken to the hospital.

Footage shows the van speeding through the parking lot before crashing into the Hawaii Nail and Spa.

The moment a suspected drunk driver plowed into a Long Island nail salon and killed four people, including an NYPD cop, was shown in shocking footage
The minivan can be seen crashing into the front of the spa on Friday
Defendant Steven Schwally will appear in First District Court in Central Islip, New York, on Monday. Schwally was arrested on a drunken driving charge after authorities said he crashed his SUV into a nail salon on June 28, killing several people and injuring others.

The video shows the mall from the side. But even in this video, the images of the out-of-control vehicle are fleeting, with the car driving at considerable speed, directly into the storefront. A cloud of dust could be seen erupting from inside the spa.

Authorities say Schwally, of Dix Hills, was driving his minivan when it crossed the parking lot and struck Hawaii Nail and Spa.

Such was the speed of the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse, the vehicle managed to make it through the entire building before getting stuck in the back of the show which was open and conducting business just before the weekend.

Schwally appeared in court sitting in a wheelchair and wearing hospital gowns. Families of several victims also sat nearby.

Prosecutors described the crash as occurring when the driver “accelerated at a high rate of speed” and Schwally allegedly “drove into the oncoming lane, nearly hitting pedestrians and continuing through the intersection, becoming airborne” as he slammed into the crowded nail salon.

According to prosecutors, Schwally said he drank 18 beers Thursday night but stopped drinking at 3 a.m. The results of a blood alcohol test are pending. He is currently being held on $1 million bail.

Schwally appeared in court sitting in a wheelchair and wearing hospital gowns. Families of several victims sat nearby
Emilia Rennhack, 30, an off-duty NYPD officer, was killed in Friday’s crash
Rennhack, 30, had stopped at Hawaii Nail and Spa in anticipation of another police officer’s wedding later that evening.
Jiancai Chen, owner of Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park, was also killed in the crash.
A salon employee, Yan Xu, 41, also lost her life in the tragic accident.
Four people were killed and ten were hospitalized after a minivan crashed into the Hawaii Nail & Spa salon in Deer Park on Long Island, New York.

Prosecutors say that when he was spoken to after the accident, his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his speech was slurred.

“There was an odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from his breath,” the criminal complaint states, according to CBS News.

This is not the first time Schwally has been charged with drunken driving, Newsday reports.

In April 2014, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and his license was suspended.

Schwally’s brother, Edward, also claims to have had more than one DUI in the past, recounting how he once drove his brother to probation after he refused to take a breathalyzer test in 2010 or 2011.

The family of the salon’s co-owners’ brother and sister, Jencai Chen, who was killed, and his wife Wen Jun, who is in critical condition, have set up a GoFundMe to help pay for childcare expenses for their two children, ages 10 and 5.

The spa was the family’s only source of income.

Several customers shared their grief after learning of the accident.

“I just lost a friend of mine’s son to alcoholism. It’s a disease. There’s no doubt about it. But don’t get in your car and drive. He killed four people — a New York City police officer. She’s 30, she just got married in September. My son is a Nassau County police officer, my son-in-law. I worry every day about him being out there,” said Jimmy Punda, a local resident.

The minivan ended up right at the back of the nail salon. It took hours to get it back.
Video shows chaotic scene in mall with heavy police presence last Friday

“They’re great people. They’re very family-oriented. It’s unbelievable. It’s sad and it’s a huge loss,” said Mike McClorey of Deer Park, Long Island.

“My heart is broken. I just live in a community and alcohol is killing everyone,” said one local resident.

“It’s crazy. You would never expect this to happen. They were like family to us, and it’s just heartbreaking because you come here to relax, to pamper yourself, to be pampered, and this tragedy happens,” added Patricia Castillo, a customer.

“The loss of a member of the NYPD has been particularly heartbreaking for the family of the officer and her husband, who, as you probably know, works at this very precinct, and they were recently married,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng.

A candlelight vigil will be held at the spa on Monday evening.