The man accused of drunkenly plowing his SUV into a Long Island nail salon, killing NYPD Officer Emilia Rennhack and three others, entered not guilty pleas to 38 charges in connection with the 78 mph crash, including murder and vehicular manslaughter.
Steven Schwally was in a wheelchair during his appearance Thursday in Riverhead court, where he was indicted on dozens of new charges, 28 of them felonies.
He’d already been facing a count of driving while intoxicated for the deadly crash at Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park on June 28.
Prosecutors said 64-year-old Schwally, a retiree who previously worked at a private security firm, purchased two 375-milliliter bottles of Montebello Long Island Iced Tea in the hours before he slammed into the nail salon. He paid $13.99 per beverage, each with a proof of 42.
From there, Schwally allegedly proceeded to drunkenly drive around the area, sending pedestrians fleeing as he swerved into crosswalks and raced through red lights.
Schwally “displayed a total disregard for public safety and a depraved indifference to human life,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said, adding, “The defendant had been drinking all day, we allege.”
Rennhack, who was off-duty, was getting her nails done for an upcoming wedding when Schwally’s 2020 Chevy Traverse burst through the front window of the salon about 4:30 p.m. Two other women, beautician Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50, both from Flushing, Queens, and a man, Jiancai Chen, 37, of Bayside, Queens, died in the crash.
NYPD PC
NYPD Officer Emilia Rennhack
Nine more people, including a 12-year-old girl, also suffered injuries.
Authorities said Schwally had a blood alcohol content of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, at the time of his arrest.
Schwally was remanded and his license was suspended. The judge also declined to grant him bail.
