Steven Schwally, 66, was sentenced to 25 years to life after a June 28, 2024 crash in Deer Park, N.Y., in which his SUV slammed into the Hawaii Nail & Spa, killing four people and injuring nine. A jury convicted him in June of four counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors presented evidence that his blood alcohol content was 0.17% and that he was driving about 78 mph when the vehicle went airborne and struck the salon. During sentencing Schwally made a rude gesture toward a photographer but also told victims' families, "I'm so sorry." Families said the sentence provides only limited comfort.
Driver Sentenced to 25 Years to Life After Deadly N.Y. Nail Salon Crash; Flips Off Photographer at Sentencing
Steven Schwally appears at First District Court in Central Islip, N.Y., for arraignment on July 1, 2024.Credit: James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty
A Suffolk County jury convicted 66-year-old Steven Schwally of four counts of second-degree murder in connection with a June 28, 2024, crash in Deer Park, New York, that sent an SUV bursting into the Hawaii Nail & Spa and killed four people. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a judge sentenced Schwally to 25 years to life in prison.
Sentence and Conviction
Prosecutors said jurors found Schwally guilty in June of four counts of second-degree murder and related charges after determining he had been driving while intoxicated and at high speed. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office announced the sentence following Wednesday's hearing.
NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack was killed in the June 2024 nail salon crash in Deer Park, N.Y.Credit: NYPD 102nd Precinct
Crash Details
Authorities say Schwally's SUV was traveling about 78 mph when it went airborne and plowed into the salon on Grand Boulevard. First responders and witnesses described the aftermath as if "a bomb went off" or an explosion had occurred. Nine people were injured in addition to the four who were killed.
Victims
The victims were identified as salon owner Jian Chai Chen, 37; employees Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50; and patron Emilia Rennhack, 30, an off-duty New York City police officer. Families of the victims addressed the court during sentencing.
Steven Schwally's mugshot.Credit: Suffolk County District Attorney's Office
Evidence and Investigation
Police officers who examined Schwally after the crash reported signs of intoxication. Laboratory analysis later put his blood alcohol content at 0.17% — more than twice New York's legal limit of 0.08%. Prosecutors also said Schwally had stopped earlier the same day at a liquor store in the shopping plaza and purchased two bottles of a Montebello Long Island Iced Tea Cocktail; investigators recovered two empty 375-milliliter bottles and one unopened bottle inside the SUV and another empty bottle in his motel room.
Courtroom Scene
Photos and reports from the courthouse showed Schwally making a rude hand gesture toward a news photographer during sentencing. Chief Assistant District Attorney Allen Bode later described the gesture as evidence he remained unrepentant. Schwally did speak briefly to the victims' families, saying, "I'm so sorry and I hope you can all forgive me," according to media reports.
Victims' Families React
Family statements read in court expressed sorrow and the limits of comfort offered by the sentence. Carl Rennhack, husband of Emilia Rennhack, said that "knowing he will die behind bars is the only comfort we have." Wen Jun Chen, the wife of salon owner Jian Chai Chen, said that no verdict or money could restore her husband or father to their children.
"He chose to get behind the wheel of an SUV, run four stop signs and speed through a red light, crashing his two-ton vehicle into a room full of people,"
The sentence concludes the criminal trial phase of a case that drew widespread attention because of the number of victims and because one of the dead was an off-duty law-enforcement officer.
Help us improve.
