A Suffolk County man has been convicted on all charges after a tragic incident where he drove his SUV into a Deer Park nail salon, resulting in the deaths of an off-duty NYPD officer and three others. Steven Schwally, 66, faced a jury trial and was found guilty on Thursday of four counts of second-degree murder, among other charges, following the devastating crash on June 28, 2024.
Prosecutors revealed that Schwally had been drinking heavily for over five hours before driving his vehicle at nearly 80 miles per hour into Hawaii Nail & Spa. The impact tragically claimed the lives of 30-year-old off-duty officer Emilia Rennhack, who was there for a manicure, salon owner Jian Chai Chen, 37, and employees Yan Xu, 41, and Mei Zi Zhang, 50. Nine others were injured in the incident, including a 12-year-old girl who subsequently required surgery.
Schwally admitted to police that he drank 18 bottles of beer, but evidence indicated he was more intoxicated from Long Island iced tea—a potent cocktail he had purchased earlier that day from a liquor store within the same shopping complex as the nail salon. Authorities discovered two empty pints and one full bottle of Long Island iced tea in his SUV, and another empty bottle was located in his room at the Commack Motor Inn, where he resided at the time.
The drunk killed off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, who was getting a manicure for a wedding, as well as salon owner Jian Chai Chen, 37, and employees Yan Xu, 41, and Mei Zi Zhang, 50. He injured nine others, including a 12-year-old girl, who required surgery.
Schwally told police that he consumed 18 bottles of beer — but was actually more tanked on Long Island iced tea liquor he bought earlier that morning at a liquor store in the same strip mall containing the nail salon.
Two empty pints and one full bottle of Long Island iced tea were found in his vehicle, and another empty bottle was found in his hotel room at the Commack Motor Inn, where he was living at the time.
The boozed-up bum had a recorded blood alcohol volume of .17%, more than double the legal limit, at the time of the deadly crash, according to prosecutors.
“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,” he continued.
Schwally faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life on the top charge alone. He was also convicted manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving and several misdemeanors.
“We’re very thankful for the jury’s verdict today,” said Chief Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Allen Bode.
“They ratified the fact that this was not an accident, this was a crime.”
Schwally has not attended his trial since he suffered a heart attack in jail on May 21.
However, Bode said that the now-convicted killer “needs to hear what these families” of the victims have to say during his sentencing, and accommodations will be made if necessary, according to Newsday.
Schwally’s lawyer Christopher Cassar said his client lost control of his vehicle because he has a leg disability and could not move his foot from the gas pedal. He claimed he did not slur his words nor stumble when he exited the vehicle at the crash.
“In this particular case, the video demonstrates that Schwally attempted to swerve to avoid other vehicles and lost control of the vehicle, so we’re confident that, based on the murder counts, that the court of appeals will look at it and overturn it,” Cassar said.
Court documents refute the attorney’s claims.
Before ramming into the nail salon, Schwally swerved around cars, into pedestrian zones, nearly missing two women walking in front of a Kohl’s located on Commack Road, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
His erratic driving escalated as he sped southbound through the parking lot, when he dodged a car making a left-hand turn, veered into the opposite lane of oncoming traffic to avoid a second car on the shoulder, and sped through four stop signs and five crosswalks.
The chaotic sequence culminated when Schwally approached a red light at the end of the parking lot. Instead of stopping behind a waiting vehicle, he crossed into the opposite northbound lane to bypass the traffic and blew the red light at the intersection of Grand Boulevard.
Hitting 78 mph, his SUV went airborne, careened across Grand Boulevard, plowed through a strip mall parking sign, and crashed entirely through the front of the nail salon.
At the time of his arrest, “Schwally was observed to be intoxicated, having an odor of alcohol
on his breath, slurred speech, bloodshot/watery eyes, and he appeared agitated at times,” according to the DA.
When first responders arrived, Schwally reportedly yelled, “Get me out of here… I’m a Marine!”
