Update from Suffolk County Police Department: The four people who were killed in the crash have been identified as Jiancai Chen, 37, of Bayside, Queens; Yan Xu, 41, of Flushing, Queens; and Meizi Zhang, 50, of Flushing, Queens. This includes Emilia Rennhack, the 30-year-old NYPD officer who is from Deer Park.
The individuals being treated at area hospitals for serious but not life-threatening injuries include Nicole Miele, 54, of Dix Hills; Ana Garcia, 53, of Bay Shore; Wen Jun Cheng, 35, of Bayside, Queens; and Michael Mehale, 58, of Deer Park.
Other victims treated for injuries at area hospitals are Carol Garcia, 23, of Bay Shore; Toni Saccente, 32, of West Islip; Krystal Rodriguez, 37, of Bay Shore; Nicole Saccente, 55, from Cape Coral, Florida; and a 12-year-old girl whose identity is being withheld.
Schwally remains hospitalized as of Saturday, according to the Suffolk County Police. He will face arraignment at a later date, with additional charges pending.
Below is the original story.
A deadly crash at a Deer Park nail salon claimed the lives of four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, after a 64-year-old intoxicated driver plowed his minivan through the establishment.
Steven Schwally, driving a 2020 Chevy Traverse, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated following the catastrophic incident at the Deer Park Strip Mall on Friday. Suffolk County Police reported that Schwally was speeding through the parking lot in front of 421 Commack Road before crossing over Grand Boulevard and crashing through the front window of Hawaii Nail & Spa at around 4:32 p.m. The salon was open for business at the time.
Tragically, three women and a man, including 30-year-old NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, were pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Rennhack was assigned to the 102nd precinct, where her husband also serves as a detective.
“Our hearts are breaking following the tragic loss of our 102 Pct. sister P.O. Emilia Rennhack in an off-duty incident yesterday,” the NYC Police Benevolent Association shared on social media.
Rennhack had been an NYPD officer since 2018.
All the victims were inside the salon. An additional nine people sustained injuries and were rushed to local hospitals; five were transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, three to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, and one was airlifted via Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital. Among the injured was a 12-year-old girl. Some victims were trapped inside and had to be extricated before being transported for treatment.
Police revealed that two individuals sustained serious injuries but withheld further details about the victims. No other names have been released at this time.
Schwally, who resides at 12 Millet Street in Dix Hills, was also injured and taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555.
A criminal charge is an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
