NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Officials released the names of the four victims who were killed and the others injured due to an alleged intoxicated driver crashing into a Long Island nail salon on Friday afternoon.
The intoxicated diver, 64-year-old Steven Schwally, was driving at a high rate of speed when he crossed over Grand Boulevard and continued through the parking lot of 794 Grand Blvd., crashing his vehicle through the front window of Hawaii Nail & Spa around 4:32 p.m., police said.
The owner, Jiancai Chen, Rennhack, an off-duty NYPD officer, and the other two customers were inside the business at the time of the accident.
"The whole vibe in the store was always happy," said long-time customer John Vasallo, who said they had a go-to nail tech at the salon. "They, we're a great bunch of people, and it's going to be a really sad time knowing they won't be here anymore."
For many in this tight-knit community, hearing the driver had been arrested for DWI is horrifying. "It is a shame. This is the society we live in. People have no respect for other drivers or people," Vasallo added.
Nine people, including the driver, were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries.
Miele, Garcia, Cheng, and Mehale remain at area hospitals as they are being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Steven Schwally, the alleged intoxicated driver of the vehicle, remains hospitalized and is expected to be arraigned at a later date.
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.