A former Marine accused of drunkenly speeding into a Long Island nail salon, killing four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, appeared in court Monday when a judge ordered his bail set at $1 million.
Steven Schwally was arrested after the Friday crash on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park. Officials in Suffolk County said the 64-year-old driver was speeding when he slammed into the Hawaii Nail & Spa around 4:30 p.m.
At least nine people were hurt, in addition to the four who died. Police released the names of those killed over the weekend as Jiancai Chen, Emilia Rennhack, Yan Xu, and Meizi Zhang. Rennhack, 30, was an officer with the NYPD. The other three victims worked at the salon.
Nine others suffered injuries, some of which were considered serious. One of the injured was airlifted to a nearby hospital. The youngest was just 12 years old.
Prosecutors said the man was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed toward Grand Boulevard, for reasons that are unknown but under investigation. Schwally's SUV was caught on nearby surveillance video racing between two parked cars and slamming into the front of the small business.
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A fire official at the scene said the minivan had nearly come out the other side of the salon, indicating its high speed at the time of the crash.
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Rescuers had to free three people stuck underneath the Chevy Traverse stopped in the center of the business.
Schwally allegedly told police that the night before the crash he had drank 18 beers, but had stopped drinking around 3 a.m. Officials said police did a blood draw following the crash, but the results have not come back yet.
About 150 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the incident.
The NYPD mourns the loss of @NYPD102Pct Police Officer Emilia Rennhack. She was tragically killed yesterday while off-duty on Long Island. Please keep her family, friends, and co-workers in your thoughts. Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/fRnCubELFB
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 29, 2024
