Drunk Driver Convicted of Murder in Deer Park Nail Salon Crash That Killed 4
Steven Schwally, 66, was found guilty on all charges, including four counts of second-degree murder, for plowing his SUV into a Long Island nail salon at 78 mph.
Jury Convicts Drunk Driver on All Counts in Deer Park Nail Salon Massacre
Steven Schwally, 66, was found guilty on all charges Thursday after a jury trial stemming from a June 28, 2024, crash in which he drove his SUV into a nail salon in Deer Park, Long Island, killing four people and injuring nine others. NY Post Metro reports that the verdict includes four counts of second-degree murder along with charges of manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving, and several misdemeanors.
Schwally had been drinking for more than five hours before he drove his vehicle into Hawaii Nail & Spa at nearly 80 miles per hour, without braking, according to prosecutors. His blood alcohol level was recorded at .17% — more than double the legal limit.
Among those killed was off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, who was getting a manicure ahead of a wedding. Also killed were salon owner Jian Chai Chen, 37, and employees Yan Xu, 41, and Mei Zi Zhang, 50. Nine others were injured, including a 12-year-old girl who required surgery.
Schwally told police he had consumed 18 bottles of beer, but prosecutors said he had also drunk significant quantities of Long Island iced tea purchased earlier that morning at a liquor store in the same strip mall as the nail salon. Two empty pints and one full bottle of Long Island iced tea were recovered from his vehicle; a fourth bottle was found in his room at the nearby Commack Motor Inn, where he was living at the time.
"Customers and workers went into a nail salon on an ordinary Friday June afternoon and four of them never came home, because Steven Schwally made the selfish choice to drink and drive," Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. "Drunken driving is not an accident, it is a deadly serious crime."
Chief Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Allen Bode echoed that framing after the verdict. "We're very thankful for the jury's verdict today," Bode said. "They ratified the fact that this was not an accident, this was a crime."
Court documents detail an extended sequence of erratic driving before the crash. Before reaching the salon, Schwally swerved around vehicles, entered pedestrian zones, and came within feet of striking two women walking in front of a Kohl's on Commack Road, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. He ran through four stop signs and five crosswalks as he accelerated southbound through the parking lot, veering into oncoming lanes to bypass stopped traffic. At a red light at the parking lot's end, he bypassed a waiting vehicle by crossing into the northbound lane and ran the intersection at Grand Boulevard. His SUV reached 78 mph, went airborne, crossed Grand Boulevard, tore through a parking lot sign, and drove entirely through the front of the nail salon.
When officers arrived, Schwally's speech was slurred, his eyes bloodshot and watery, and he smelled of alcohol, according to the DA's office. He was described as agitated, reportedly shouting, "Get me out of here… I'm a Marine!"
Defense attorney Christopher Cassar argued that Schwally lost control of the vehicle because a leg disability prevented him from moving his foot off the accelerator, and pointed to video footage he said showed his client attempting to swerve away from other vehicles. "We're confident that, based on the murder counts, that the court of appeals will look at it and overturn it," Cassar said.
Schwally has not appeared at trial since suffering a heart attack in jail on May 21. Bode said, according to Newsday, that Schwally "needs to hear what these families" of the victims have to say at sentencing, and that accommodations would be made if necessary.
Schwally faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life on the top charge alone. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
Source: NY Post Metro