Dix Hills Man Found Guilty Of Murder After Deadly Deer Park Nail Salon Crash That Left 4 Dead: DA

DEER PARK, NY — Steven Schwally was found guilty Thursday after a deadly Deer Park nail salon crash that killed four people and injured nine others, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney's Office confirmed.

Schwally, 66, of Dix Hills, was convicted of four counts of second-degree murder and additional related charges after a jury trial, the DA’s office said. He is due back in court for sentencing on Aug. 12, the DA’s office said.

Schwally was indicted in August 2024 on 38 charges, including four counts of second-degree murder, officials said.

On Thursday, prosecutors said Schwally was convicted of 30 counts, including four counts of second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of second-degree manslaughter, one count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter, one count of aggravated vehicular assault, three counts of second-degree assault, four counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, one count of first-degree vehicular assault, two counts of driving while intoxicated, four counts of third-degree assault and one count of reckless driving.

Schwally had pleaded not guilty to charges connected to the June 28, 2024, crash at Hawaii Nail & Spa, where prosecutors said he drove drunk and plowed an SUV through the front window of the salon.

Closing arguments were held Tuesday after prosecutors rested their case Monday evening, and the defense did not call any witnesses, Newsday reported. Schwally faces up to 25 years to life in prison, Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro previously said in court.

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

Prosecutors said Rennhack was a patron, Chen was the owner of the business, and Xu and Zhang were employees.

Nine others were seriously injured: Nicole Miele, 54, of Dix Hills; Ana Garcia, 53, of Bay Shore; Wen Jun Cheng, 35, of Bayside, Queens; 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, of Cape Coral, Florida; and a 12-year-old girl, police said.

Prosecutors said the injured survivors sustained injuries ranging from fractures and internal injuries requiring surgery to lacerations and contusions.

A surviving female employee sustained serious injuries, including the loss of her spleen and numerous fractures to her pelvis, sacrum and ribs, prosecutors said. She underwent a total splenectomy and exploratory laparotomy at a local hospital, prosecutors said.

A 12-year-old patron sustained a fractured right ankle/foot that required surgery, including the placement of hardware in her body, prosecutors said. Another customer was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he had surgery for a fractured leg/hip, prosecutors said.

Six other victims, all customers, also sustained various physical injuries that required treatment at local hospitals, prosecutors said.

Suffolk County police previously said Schwally 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 through the front window of the salon.

Prosecutors said Thursday that Schwally drove through the parking lot at high speed, disregarded four stop signs, traveled through five crosswalks and barely missed two female pedestrians before blowing through a red light.

His 2020 Chevrolet Traverse SUV went airborne across Grand Boulevard before entering the strip mall parking lot, plowing through a sign and crashing into the salon, prosecutors said.

There were 14 people inside the business at the time of the crash — five employees and nine customers, prosecutors said.

Witnesses described the aftermath inside the salon as looking “if a bomb went off” or “an explosion” had occurred, prosecutors said. Debris, glass, furniture and other material were scattered throughout the store, while dust and smoke filled the interior, making it hard to breathe, prosecutors said.

At a July 2024 court hearing, prosecutors said Schwally’s toxicology report showed a .17 percent blood alcohol concentration — more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent — at the time of the crash.

The DA’s office said Thursday that Schwally was observed to have an odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes after the crash. Prosecutors said a search warrant was obtained for blood taken from Schwally when he arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital, and Suffolk County Crime Laboratory analysis showed a .17 percent blood alcohol content.

Prosecutors said a search warrant was also obtained for Schwally’s vehicle, and the SUV’s event data recorder showed he was traveling 78 mph when the vehicle went airborne across Grand Boulevard.

At an August court hearing, prosecutors said the investigation revealed that the morning of the crash, Schwally had purchased two 42-proof, 375-milliliter bottles of Montebello Iced Tea cocktail.

The DA’s office said Thursday that Schwally left his residence at the Commack Motor Inn, where he lived by himself, before buying the two bottles at about 11 a.m. from a liquor store in the same strip mall as Hawaii Nail & Spa. Prosecutors said he then drove around Deer Park throughout the day.

Investigators also found two empty bottles of the cocktail and one full bottle in his vehicle after the crash, prosecutors said in court.

Prosecutors said Thursday that investigators also found an additional empty bottle in the bathroom trash at Schwally’s room at the Commack Motor Inn, where he was living at the time.

Schwally admitted to drinking 18 beers the night before the crash, Newsday previously reported.

Schwally’s attorney, Christopher Cassar, previously told Patch that he gave prosecutors medical records for a leg injury that he said made Schwally unable to take his leg off the gas before the crash.

Cassar was not immediately available to respond to Patch for comment on the verdict.

“Customers and workers went into a nail salon on an ordinary Friday, June afternoon and four of them never came home, because Steven Schwally made the selfish choice to drink and drive. Drunken driving is not an accident; it is a deadly serious crime,” District Attorney Tierney said. “I want to acknowledge the strength and dignity shown by the victims’ families throughout this process, and I want to assure them that this office remains committed to seeking justice on their behalf.”