Witness of fatal Long Island car crash describes scene: 'Sounded like glass shattering'
Eric Perez witnessed the moment a vehicle crashed into the Hawaii Nail Salon in Deer Park on Long Island, N.Y., on Friday afternoon. (Credit: Peter Gerber)
The 64-year-old New York man accused of drunkenly slamming his Chevy SUV into a nail salon, killing four people and wounding nine more, drank 18 beers the morning before the crash, prosecutors said at his arraignment Monday, according to local reports.
Officers arrived at the Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park to find Steven Schwally, of Dix Hills, with "bloodshot and glassy eyes," slurring his speech and mumbling, Suffolk County police alleged.
Schwally allegedly had "constricted pupils," and the responding officer wrote that his breath reeked of booze.
Steven Schwally appears in court at First District Court in Central Islip, New York, for arraignment on Monday, July 1, 2024. Schwally was the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a nail salon, killing four people and injuring nine others on Long Island. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Witnesses told police they heard a "violent explosion," Newsday reported, citing Assistant District Attorney Alexander Bopp.
"It looked like a bomb had gone off," Bopp said in court. "Bodies were everywhere. Several individuals, including two of the deceased, had to be removed from under [Schwally's] vehicle."
Fatal DUI suspect Steven Schwally seen in a booking photo provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office in New York. Schwally is accused of drunkenly slamming his Chevy Traverse into a nail salon in Deer Park, killing four people and sending nine more to the hospital. (Suffolk County Sheriff's Office)
Authorities identified three people killed as Jiancai Chen, 37, the business owner, and two employees: Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50. Nine others were hospitalized, including a 12-year-old girl.
MULTIPLE PEOPLE DEAD, INJURED AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO NEW YORK NAIL SALON
Emilia Rennhack, left, was inside the Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park, New York, when a 2020 Chevy Traverse slammed through the storefront in an alleged drunken driving crash that killed her, along with three other people, and injured nine others. (NYPD/Peter Gerber)
The fourth victim who died of her injuries was Emilia Rennhack, a 30-year-old NYPD officer who was getting her nails done for a colleague's upcoming wedding.
Rennhack's husband, a detective in the NYPD, was seen shedding tears during Schwally's arraignment Monday, the New York Post reported.
Carl Rennhack, husband of Emilia Rennhack, leaves court after attending the arraignment for defendant Steven Schwally at First District Court in Central Islip, New York on July 1, 2024. Emilia Rennhack was an off-duty NYPD officer who was killed when a car driven by Schwally crashed into a nail salon on Long Island. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Video from the scene shows dozens of police and first responder vehicles. Authorities taped off a large swath of the shopping center as they dug through the rubble and rushed victims to several local hospitals.
"It sounded like glass shattering, but not a car accident, you hear metal-to-metal," one witness, Eric Perez, told Fox News Digital. "It's something I never heard before."
Prosecutors said the vehicle had gone airborne before impact. Police said earlier the vehicle did not come to a stop until it reached the far side of the building.
Emilia Rennhack and her husband Carl pictured together during an event. (Simonsen Foundation/Facebook)
The suspect consented to a blood-alcohol test but not until nearly five hours after the crash, according to court documents. The results were pending.
Schwally, who arrived in court in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown, pleaded not guilty Monday to first-offense driving while intoxicated, court records show.
He was being held on $1 million cash bail, $2 million insured bond or $5 million uninsured bond.
A vehicle plowed into Hawaii Nail and Spa on Long Island, New York. (Peter Gerber)
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Although he has a listed address in Dix Hills, Schwally's attorney said in court that he is unemployed and was most recently living out of a hotel.
He is due back in court Friday.
He will likely face additional, more serious charges.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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