Police officer murder suspect drank 18 beers before beauty salon accident that killed 4, injured 9: prosecutors

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A 64-year-old New Yorker accused of crashing his Chevrolet SUV into a nail salon while intoxicated, killing four people and injuring nine, had consumed 18 beers the morning before the crash, prosecutors said during his arraignment Monday, according to local reports.

Officers arrived at the Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park and found Steven Schwally, of Dix Hills, with “bloodshot and glassy eyes” and slurring and mumbling, according to Suffolk County police.

Schwally allegedly had “constricted pupils,” and the responding officer wrote that his breath smelled of alcohol.

OFF-DUTY NYPD OFFICER AMONG 4 KILLED AFTER DRUNK DRIVER DRIVES INTO MANICURE SALON: ‘OUR HEARTS ARE BREAKING’

Steven Schwally will appear in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, for a hearing on Monday, July 1, 2024. Schwally was the driver of a vehicle that struck a beauty salon that killed four people and injured nine 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 told the court. “There were bodies everywhere. Several people, including two dead, had to be pulled out from under (Schwally’s) vehicle.”

Fatal DUI crash suspect Steven Schwally is seen in an arrest photo released by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in New York. Schwally is accused of drunkenly crashing his Chevrolet Traverse into a nail salon in Deer Park, killing four people and sending nine others to the hospital. (Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office)

Authorities identified the three people killed as Jiancai Chen, 37, the company’s owner, and two employees: Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50. Nine other people were hospitalized, including a 12-year-old girl.

MANY PEOPLE DIE, WERE INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENTS AT A NAIL SALON IN NEW YORK

Emilia Rennhack (left) was inside Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park, New York, when a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse crashed into the storefront window, killing her and three others and injuring nine others. (NYPD/Peter Gerber)

The fourth victim to die from her injuries was Emilia Rennhack, a 30-year-old New York City police officer who was getting her fingernails done for a friend’s upcoming wedding.

Rennhack’s husband, a New York Police Department detective, cried during Schwally’s hearing on Monday, according to the New York Post.

Carl Rennhack, husband of Emilia Rennhack, leaves court after attending the preliminary hearing for defendant Steven Schwally in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, July 1, 2024. Emilia Rennhack was an off-duty New York Police Department officer who was killed when a car driven by Schwally crashed into a Long Island beauty salon. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Video from the scene showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles, and authorities taped off a large swath of the mall as they dug through the rubble and rushed victims to several local hospitals.

“It sounded like glass breaking, but not like a car crash, metal on metal,” witness Eric Perez told Fox News Digital. “It was something I’ve never heard before.”

Prosecutors said the vehicle became airborne before impact. Police previously said the vehicle did not stop until it reached the opposite side of the building.

Emilia Rennhack and her husband Carl pictured during the 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. Results were pending.

Court documents reveal that Schwally, who arrived at court in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown, pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of driving under the influence.

He was held on $1 million bail, $2 million insured bail or $5 million uninsured bail.

A vehicle drove into the Hawaii Nail and Spa salon on Long Island, New York. (Peter Gerber)

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Although Schwally is listed as having a Dix Hills address, his attorney testified in court that he is unemployed and has recently been staying at a hotel.

He is due to appear in court again on Friday.

It is likely he will face additional, more serious charges.

Brie Stimson of Fox News contributed to this report.