A New York man in his 60s is not getting out of prison anytime soon after barreling his SUV into a nail salon at high speed. His reckless action killed four people inside and injured several others. Before the tragedy, he reportedly went on a hours-long drinking binge.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, 66-year-old Steven Schwally, originally from Deer Park, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following his conviction on multiple felony charges tied to the catastrophic June 2024 crash at the Hawaii Nail & Spa.

Authorities have also released the names of the deceased individuals.

Emilia Rennhack, a 30-year-old patron and an off-duty New York City police officer; Jian Chai Chen, the 37-year-old owner of the business; Yan Xu, 41, an employee; and Meizi Zhang, 50, an employee, all lost their lives in the tragic incident. Meanwhile, nine other people sustained injuries that ranged from “fractures and internal injuries requiring surgery to lacerations and contusions.”

Schwally faces multiple charges, including four counts of second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of aggravated vehicular assault, three counts of second-degree assault, four counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts of driving while intoxicated, four counts of third-degree assault, and one count of reckless driving.

“Steven Schwally drank until his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit. He chose to get behind the wheel of an SUV, run four stop signs, and speed through a red light, crashing his two-ton vehicle into a room full of people,” Tierney said in a statement during the press release.

“Four families are now living with the deadly consequences, including the family of an off-duty New York City police officer. We have now achieved justice on behalf of these families and survivors who continue to deal with the fallout from the defendant’s decisions.”

Investigators pieced together Schwally’s actions leading up to the tragedy on June 28, 2024. Earlier that morning, security cameras recorded him purchasing two bottles of Montebello Long Island Iced Tea Cocktail from a liquor store located in the very same strip mall as the salon. They also found more empty bottles from the trash of the motel he was staying at.

Schwally then spent hours driving his Chevrolet Traverse at 78 mph in the surrounding neighborhood before driving his vehicle into the nail salon’s storefront. In surveillance footage obtained by the investigators, he can be seen frantically driving without obeying traffic rules. In some instances, pedestrians narrowly escaped getting seriously harmed. 

After the crash, Schwally was rushed to a local New York hospital for treatment. His blood alcohol content was 0.17 per cent, which is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 per cent.

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.