Driver in deadly Deer Park nail salon crash sentenced to 25 years to life in prison
A driver convicted of killing four people when he crashed into a Long Island nail salon was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Wednesday morning.
A judge gave Steven Schwally, 66, the maximum sentence after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and other charges in June.
The trial centered on a horrific high-speed crash when Schwally rammed his car into the Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park on June 28, 2024. Salon owner Jiancai Chen, employees Yan Xu and Meizi Zhang, and off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack were killed. Nine others were injured.
During the sentencing, Schwally did not make eye contact with survivors or victims' loved ones, but thrust his middle finger toward a photographer taking pictures of the proceedings.
"He made a rude gesture to the media here. He is unrepentant, in our opinion," Suffolk County chief assistant DA Allen Bode said.
The judge tersely addressed Schwally while sentencing him.
"You've displayed nothing short of a complete and utter disregard for human life," State Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro said.
Ambro recommended Schwally never be released from prison.
"I only regret sentences can't be longer," he said.
Prosecutors say after Schwally was caught on camera buying booze, he should have called for a rideshare, but he chose to drink and drive.
"Twenty dollars and those four people would still be alive, and the nine people who were seriously injured would not still be suffering from those injuries today," Bode said.
Videos streamed the world over showed Schwally driving 78 mph. Prosecutors said his blood-alcohol level was 0.17, which is more than twice the legal limit.
At the sentencing, victims and family members affected by the tragedy spoke.
Carl Rennhack, Emilia's husband, asked the judge for the maximum sentence. He said his wife had so much left to achieve, and Schwally should die behind bars.
"You turned the lives of my family and community upside down," he said.
Annabelle Saccente, who was a customer at the salon when the incident happened, said she fought through surgery, rehab and physical therapy. She said she missed more than 200 days of school recovering.
"I can't get back a part of my childhood taken from me," she said.
Schwally's defense argued his leg locked on the accelerator and questioned the accuracy of the blood-alcohol test. Schwally's lawyer said he was a handicapped driver who tried to avoid the accident.
Schwally apologized.
"I'm terribly sorry for my actions that day," he said. "I'm so sorry."
His lawyer read a statement from him in court.
"I take responsibility for my actions, responsibility to those who lost their lives. I will have to live with that the rest of my life," the statement read.
The lawyer said Schwally didn't mean to kill anyone. Schwally also said there was no proof that he drank numerous beers, which prosecutors asserted during the trial.
Many police officers were present for the trial.
"We will never forget our sister Emelia Rennhack. She put on that uniform and that shield every single day with pride. Her smile, her joy for life was infectious to those who knew her, and these police officers behind me will allow her story to end here today," Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry said.
Schwally previously turned down a plea deal that would have carried a sentence of 22 years to life. He wasn't present for the guilty verdict after suffering a heart attack.
Prosecutors said he had to be in court Wednesday morning.
The liquor store where Schwally bought his Long Island iced tea cocktail is just steps away from the salon, which the grieving owners - survivors themselves - say they permanently closed.
