Driver drank 18 beers before fatal nail salon crash on Long Island, prosecutors say
Steven Schwally, 64, was intoxicated when he drove his SUV into Hawaii Nail & Spa. When police arrived on the scene of the accident, first responders described Schwally as smelling of alcohol with his eyes “bloodshot” and his speech “slurred and mumbled,” according to a court document.
Schwally, of nearby Dix Hills, was arraigned Monday at Suffolk County Court, where he pleaded not guilty to a DWI charge and was ordered held on $1 million cash or $2 million bond, according to online court records.
A prosecutor at the arraignment said Schwally had 18 beers and stopped drinking at 4 a.m. Friday, WABC reported.
Theonline courtrecords show Schwally is represented by Suffolk County Legal Aid Society,which did not respond to requests for comment.
Among the four people killed at the nail salon were Jiancai Chen, 37, Yan Xu, 41, Meizi Zhang, 50, and Emilia Rennhack, 30, according to Suffolk County police.
Rennhack was an off-duty New York City Police Department police officer who was at the salon “getting her nails done for a colleague’s wedding that night,” according to law enforcement crowdsourcing website Fund the First, which was launched to raise money for her family.
Chen’s nephew Vincent Zheng told CNN his uncle was the manager at Hawaii Nail & Spa and was working that day with colleagues Xu and Zhang.
Chen leaves behind two children and his wife, who was also injured in the accident, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his nephew.
After being arrested, Schwally stated that he was from nearby Dix Hills, which is where us all reside. Despite the severe accusations, we have chosen to stand by him and hire Suffolk County Legal Aid Society as his representatives.
