A man from Long Island in New York has been arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his SUV into a nail salon, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuring nine others, as per police reports on Saturday.
Steven Schwally, a resident of Dix Hills, was reportedly speeding through a parking lot when his SUV smashed through the front window of Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Friday, according to Suffolk County Police.
The nail salon was operational at the time of the incident. Fire officials who responded mentioned that Mr. Schwally was semi-conscious when his vehicle finally came to a halt near the back of the store, situated in a strip mall.
Representatives from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the police department stated that they did not have any information regarding his legal representation.
Four individuals, three women, and one man were declared deceased at the scene. Eight females and one male were taken to hospitals, with at least two of them sustaining severe injuries, the police confirmed. Among the injured was a 12-year-old girl, with the rest being adults.
Mr. Schwally was also transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The deceased victims were identified by the Suffolk County police as Jiancai Chen, 37; Yan Xu, 41; Meizi Zhang, 50—all from Queens—and Emilia Rennhack, 30, from Deer Park.
The New York Police Department revealed that Ms. Rennhack was a member of a precinct in Queens and had been serving in the police force since 2018.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Police Officer Emilia Rennhack, whose life was taken far too soon,” stated Police Commissioner Edward Caban on the social media platform X.
“Our hearts are breaking,” expressed the New York Police Benevolent Association on X. “Please join us in praying for her family, friends, and coworkers. Funeral arrangements to follow.”
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office mentioned that Mr. Schwally was still in the hospital as of late Saturday and will be brought in for arraignment at a later time.
By Philip Marcelo