The moment a suspected drunk driver crashed into a Long Island nail salon killing four people including a New York police officer was 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 on Monday. He has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol so far, and more serious charges are expected to be filed later.
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 killed in the accident. Ten other people were also injured and taken to hospital.
The footage shows the minivan driving through the parking lot before crashing into Hawaii Nail and Spa.
Shocking footage shows the moment a suspected drunk driver crashed into a Long Island nail salon, killing four people including a New York police officer
The minivan can be seen crashing into the front of the spa on Friday.
Defendant Steven Schwally is scheduled to appear for arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip, New York, on Monday. Schwally was arrested for drunken driving 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 a side view, but even then, the footage of the out-of-control vehicle is fleeting, with the car traveling at a significant speed, directly toward the store. A cloud of dust could be seen rising from inside the spa.
Authorities say Schwally, of Dix Hills, was behind the wheel of his minivan when he drove through the parking lot and crashed into Hawaii Nail and Spa.
Such was the speed of the 2020 Chevy Traverse that the vehicle managed to drive through the entire building before getting stuck in the back of the show that was open and running just before the weekend.
Schwally appeared in court seated in a wheelchair and wearing hospital scrubs. Family members of several of the victims could also be seen sitting nearby.
Prosecutors described the crash as occurring when the driver “accelerated at a high rate of speed” and that Schwally allegedly “drove in the opposite lane, nearly hitting pedestrians and continued through the intersection, becoming airborne” as he crashed into the crowded nail salon.
Prosecutors said Schwally claimed to have drank 18 beers Thursday night but had stopped drinking at 3 a.m. The results of a breathalyzer test are pending. He is currently being held on $1 million bail.
Schwally appeared in court seated in a wheelchair and wearing hospital scrubs. Family members of several of the victims could be seen sitting nearby.
Emilia Rennhack, a 30-year-old off-duty New York Police Department officer, was killed in Friday’s crash.
Rennhack, 30, had stopped by Hawaii Nail and Spa to prepare for another police officer’s wedding later that night.
Jiancai Chen, owner of Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park, also died in the accident.
A salon employee, Yan Xu, 41, also lost her life in the tragic accident.
Four people have died and ten people have been hospitalized after a minivan crashed into the Hawaii Nail & Spa salon in Deer Park on Long Island, New York.
Prosecutors say that when they spoke to him after the crash, his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his speech was slurred.
‘The smell of alcoholic beverages emanated from his breath,’ the criminal complaint states, according to CBS News.
This is not the first time Schwally has been charged with drunk driving, Newsday reports.
In April 2014, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and had his license suspended.
Schwally’s brother Edward also claims he has had more than one prior DUI, recounting how he once took his brother to probation after he refused to take a breathalyzer in 2010 or 2011.
The family of the brother and sister of the salon’s co-owners, Jencai Chen, who was murdered, and his wife Wen Jun, who is in critical condition, have created a GoFundMe to help pay for childcare costs for her two children, ages 10 and 5.
The spa was the family’s only source of income.
Several customers shared their grief upon 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’s killed four people – a New York City police officer. He’s 30 years old and got married in September. My son is a Nassau County police officer, my stepson. I worry every day that he’s out there,” said local resident Jimmy Punda.
The minivan ended up right at the back of the nail salon. It took hours to recover it.
Video shows a chaotic scene at the mall with a massive police presence last Friday
“They’re the best 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. Just by living in the community, alcohol kills everyone,” said one resident.
“It’s crazy. You would never have imagined this happening. They were like family to us and it’s heartbreaking because you come here to relax, to pamper yourself, to spoil yourself, and this tragedy happens,” added client Patricia Castillo.
“Losing a member of the NYPD has been especially heartbreaking for the family of the officer and her husband, who, as you may know, works at that same precinct, and who were recently married,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng.
A candlelight vigil will be held at the resort on Monday evening.
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