An off-duty NYPD officer was among the four people killed when a drunk driver sped into a Long Island nail salon on Friday evening, multiple police officials confirmed to News 4.
Police said the driver of a minivan, who was traveling at a high rate of speed when he plowed into the salon killing four and causing injuries to at least nine people, was arrested for operating the vehicle while intoxicated.
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.
The minivan went through the front of the beauty business and nearly came out the other side of it, a fire official said, indicating its high speed.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified the next day by police as Jiancai Chen, Emilia Rennhack, Yan Xu, and Meizi Zhang. Rennhack, 30, was an officer with the NYPD.
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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.
News
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
The driver was among those taken to the hospital, said Albanese, adding that others were trapped in the salon and needed to be extricated before being taken to the hospital.
Witnesses said the vehicle raced through a parking lot across the street, seemingly in a rush to get out of there. The driver then went around another car that was stopped at a traffic light, and as the van was trying to turn onto Grand Boulevard, it flew right into the salon.
It was not immediately clear whether the crash was intentional or not, nor was it known how many people were in the vehicle at the time. The ages of the victims was not immediately available, and Albanese could not confirm whether there were children were among the victims.
About 150 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the incident.
