Four Dead, Nine Injured in Crash
Suffolk County Police arrested a Dix Hills man for driving while intoxicated after he crashed a vehicle into a building in Deer Park, killing four people and injuring nine others.
Steven Schwally was driving a 2020 Chevy Traverse southbound at a high rate of speed through the parking lot in front of 421 Commack Road, then crossed over Grand Boulevard and continued through the parking lot of 794 Grand Boulevard, where he crashed the vehicle through the front window of Hawaii Nail & Spa, on June 28 at 4:32 p.m. The salon was open and conducting business at the time of the crash.
Three women and a man were pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. They have been identified as Jianchi Chen, 37, of Bayside, Queens; Emilia Rennhack, 30, of Deer Park; and Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50, both of Flushing, Queens.
Nine other people were transported to local hospitals. Nicole Miele, 54, of Dix Hills; Ana Garcia, 53, of Bay Shore; Wen Jun Cheng, 35, of Bayside, Queens; and Michael Mehale, 58, of Deer Park, are all being treated at area hospitals for serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Carol Garcia, 23, of Bay Shore; Toni Saccente, 32, of West Islip; Krystal Rodriguez, 37, of Bay Shore; Nicole Saccente, 55, from Cape Coral, Florida; and a 12-year-old girl whose identity is being withheld, were all treated at area hospitals for injuries.
Schwally, 64, of 12 Millet Street, was charged with driving while intoxicated. He was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He will be arraigned at a later date.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555.