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Long Island resident Steven Schwally, age 64, of Dix Hills, was formally indicted on four counts of second-degree murder, plus 24 other felonies and nine misdemeanors, in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 1
District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Schwally had just left a liquor store and was intoxicated when he crashed his SUV into Hawaii Nail & Spa, located in Deer Park on Grand Boulevard, going nearly 80 miles per hour on Friday, June 28.
The intense collision killed the salon’s 37-year-old owner, Jiancai Chen, of Bayside, Queens, and off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, age 30, of Deer Park.
Also among the dead were 41-year-old Yan Xu and 50-year-old Meizi Zhang, both salon workers from Flushing, Queens.
Eight others were taken to the hospital with injuries, including an employee who lost their spleen and a 12-year-old girl who fractured her ankle.
“When that 5,000-pound vehicle went through the front facade of that building at 78 miles per hour, eyewitnesses described it as though a bomb went off,” Tierney said at a press conference Thursday.
Moments before the crash, surveillance video reportedly captured Schwally buying two large bottles of Long Island iced tea. He was seen on additional video speeding through a nearby parking lot and blowing through several crosswalks, nearly hitting pedestrians.
After the crash, Suffolk County Police reported smelling alcohol on his breath and noted that his speech was slurred. They also found opened liquor bottles in his vehicle, according to prosecutors.
Testing done at the hospital revealed Schwally had a blood alcohol content of 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit, prosecutors said.
“As a result of this defendant’s depraved indifference to human life, four individuals are dead,” Tierney said.
In all, Schwally faces 28 felony counts, nine misdemeanors, and one traffic infraction for speeding. Among them are multiple counts of assault, aggravated vehicular homicide, and vehicular manslaughter.
He is being held at the Suffolk County jail without bail. A judge also suspended his driver’s license.
According to state records, Schwally was previously convicted of DWI in 2013 and was sentenced to three years of probation.
Tierney said he hoped the tragedy would highlight the dangers of drunk driving.
“It is absolutely unconscionable at this time for anyone to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated, especially in light of all the rideshare apps we have and all of the avenues people have to make reasonable choices,” he said.
Related Coverage:
Salon Tragedy: Video Shows Alleged Drunk Driver Crash Into NY Business, Killing Cop, 3 Others
- 'Tragic Loss': Newlywed Officer Killed In NY Salon Crash Remembered For 'Bravery, Compassion'
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