Deer Park Nail Salon Crash 1st Responders Honored By Suffolk Officials

DEER PARK, NY — The first responders who saved the lives of the victims in the Deer Park nail salon tragedy were honored by Suffolk Officials at the Deer Park Fire Department on August 12.

After a drunk driver plowed through the Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park killing four people and hospitalizing nine others, first responders braved the tragic aftermath to help those in need.

At the fire department ceremony, those brave souls were honored by colleagues and officials, including Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly, State Senator Monica Martinez and Town of Babylon Councilman Terence McSweeney.

The first responders were presented with proclamations acknowledging their heroism, while those in attendance also remembered the four people lost in the tragedy.

"All of the responding crews demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and excellence in patient care during this alarm," said Chief Robert Macaluso during the ceremony. "Because of their training and quick actions that we were able to save the lives of those that were injured."

On June 28, Steven Schwally, 64, of Dix Hills drove an SUV at high speed through the parking lot in front of 421 Commack Road, crossed over Grand Boulevard and continued through the parking lot of 794 Grand Boulevard, where he crashed the vehicle through the front window of the nail salon, Suffolk County police said.

Schwally, a Marine veteran, was reportedly still drunk at the time of the crash and living at the Motor Inn in Commack.

The crash killed NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, 30, of Deer Park, Jiancai Chen, 37, of Bayside, Queens, Yan Xu, 41, of Flushing, Queens, and Meizi Zhang, 50, of Flushing, Queens, police said.

In addition, the crash seriously injured 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, 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, police said.

After the crash, Schwally pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge and was held on $1 million cash bail, according to reports.

Then on August 1, Schwally was indicted on 38 charges—including four second-degree murder charges—and "used his 5,000-pound vehicle to kill," prosecutors said in court.

At the hearing, Judge Richard Ambro also denied Schwally's Legal Aid attorney's request for bail and suspended his license.

If convicted, Schwally is facing 25 years to life in prison, Judge Ambro said.