NEW YORK (PIX11) – Four people died, and nine others were injured Friday afternoon after an alleged intoxicated driver crashed into a Deer Park nail salon, officials announced on Saturday.
One of the individuals killed has been identified as off-duty NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, authorities announced.
“The loss of Police Officer Emilia Rennhack is a tragedy for the entire NYPD,” DEA President Paul DiGiacomo said. “It’s compounded for the DEA as we mourn alongside her Detective husband. The union will continue to help ensure the Rennhack family has everything they need during this terrible time of need.”
Rennhack and her husband had been married in September of 2023. She was inside the Long Island nail salon when an intoxicated driver, 64-year-old Steven Schwally, was driving his 2020 Chevy Traverse at a high rate of speed, according to authorities.
Schwally allegedly crossed over Grand Boulevard and continued through the parking lot of 794 Grand Boulevard, crashing his vehicle through the front window of Hawaii Nail & Spa at 4:32 p.m. The salon was open and conducting business at the time of the crash.
Renhack was inside the business when she was killed with two other women and a man inside the company. They were pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.
Officials said nine people were transported to local hospitals, including one airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Schwally, who was also taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, was later charged with Driving While Intoxicated.
He is expected to be arraigned at a later date, officials stated.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
