DEER PARK, NY — The man is accused of doing it while drunk he crashed into a nail salon on Long Island, killing four peoplemust appear in court on Monday.
Steven Schwally, 64, is charged with driving under the influence.
Meizi “Kenny” Zhang, 50, Yan Xu, 41, and Jiancai Chen, 37, and off-duty NYPD Officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, were all killed in Friday’s crash. Nine other people, including a 12-year-old girl, were hospitalized, including Schwally.
Authorities say Schwally was behind the wheel of his 2020 Chevy Traverse when it drove through the parking lot and crashed into Hawaii Nail and Spa.
Fatal crash caught on video
Video posted on social media shows the moment of impact. The short video shows a side view from a surveillance camera as the vehicle zooms straight into the front of the salon, followed by a cloud of dust shooting out from the inside of the spa.
Instagram/Hawaii_Nail_Spa
The vehicle drove straight through the building and remained stuck in the back room of the salon for hours.
Zhang was the owner of the salon. His wife remains in critical condition in hospital. They have two children, ages 10 and 5. The family started a GoFundMe, saying the spa was their only source of income.
“They’re the best people. They’re so family oriented. It’s unbelievable. It’s sad and it’s a great, great loss,” said Deer Park resident Mike McClorey.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Monday evening at 7pm at the spa.
Witness describes ‘horrific, traumatic’ scene
The crash occurred around 4:30 PM on Friday, when the salon was full of customers. Witnesses said Schwally’s vehicle swerved as it drove through the parking lot of Kohl’s across the street.
A witness, named Hahn, described the moment before the crash.
“I thought, ‘This guy is going to turn on a light.’ And I had no idea what I was going to see, but I saw him come down Grand Boulevard and into the salon,” Hahn said. “It was just the most terrifying, traumatizing, disturbing thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
