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Steven Schwally faces court appearance after car accident – ​​NBC New York

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A driver accused of driving drunk into a Long Island nail salon and killing four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday and returned to court for arraignment.

Steven Schwally was arrested following Friday’s crash on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park. Officials in Suffolk County said the 64-year-old minivan driver was speeding when he crashed into Hawaii Nail & Spa around 4:30 p.m.

At least nine people were injured, in addition to the four dead. Police released the names of those killed over the weekend: Jiancai Chen, Emilia Rennhack, Yan Xu and Meizi Zhang. Rennhack, 30, was a police officer with the NYPD.

Nine other people sustained injuries, some of which were classified as serious. One of the injured was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. The youngest was just 12 years old.

A fire official pointed to the high speed of the minivan, which drove through the front of the beauty salon and almost came out the other side.

Witnesses said the vehicle sped through a parking lot across the street, apparently in a hurry to get out of there. The driver then drove around another car that was stopped at a traffic light, and as the van was about to turn onto Grand Boulevard, it flew straight into the salon.

It was not immediately clear if the crash was intentional, nor was it known how many people were in the minivan at the time. Details of the specific charges are expected later Monday. It was not clear if Schwally had an attorney.

About 150 firefighters and paramedics responded to the incident.

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