Driver found guilty in Deer Park nail salon crash that killed 4 people, including off-duty NYPD officer

A Long Island man was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday for the crash at a Deer Park nail salon that killed four, including an off-duty police officer. 

Police said Steven Schwally drunkenly rammed his car into the Hawaii Nail and Spa in June 2024. He did not deny causing the horrific crash nearly two years ago, but did deny that he was intoxicated at the time.   

Schwally was on trial for more than a dozen charges, including four counts of murder. He could spend 27 years-to-life in jail. He previously turned down a 22-years-to-life plea deal.

The horrific crash

Prosecutors said the Dix Hills man stopped at a liquor store to buy two bottles of Long Island iced tea on June 28, 2024 before he barreled through a parking lot. Surveillance video showed Schwally crashing into the business at 78 miles per hour on Grand Avenue.

His blood-alcohol level was .17, more than twice the legal limit, prosecutors said. 

The crash killed salon owner Jiancai Chen, 37, and two employees, Meizi Zhang, 50, and Yan Xu, 41. Off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, a 30-year-old newlywed to a detective, also died. Nine people, including a 12-year-old girl, were hospitalized. Schwally was also injured.   

Alcohol or leg problem?

Schwally's lawyer said he was a handicapped driver whose right leg locked up on the gas pedal when the crash happened.  

"He was not intoxicated, and from day 1 we said he had a problem with his leg and he could not remove his leg from the gas pedal," said defense attorney Christopher Cassar. 

The defense also claimed a video of the crash shows he tried to avoid the accident, and his blood alcohol test was inaccurate.

"That's contaminated," Cassar said. 

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