Steven Schwally found guilty in Long Island nail salon crash that killed 4

Published June 4, 2026 1:17 PM EDT

Steven Schwally, the 66-year-old prosecutors said drove drunk and plowed into a Deer Park nail salon back in 2024, killing four people, was found guilty on Thursday.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on all 30 counts, including murder, for Schwally, who wasn't in the courtroom after reportedly being hospitalized for a massive heart attack.

FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg reports that the victims of the families were visibly emotional as each count was read in court.

The backstory:

According to prosecutors, Schwally was drunk when he drove a Chevy Traverse into Hawaii Nail & Spa, located inside a strip mall on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park.

Four people were killed, including an off-duty NYPD officer, and nine others were injured. Witnesses described the crash as "a violent explosion" that sent "bodies everywhere." Prosecutors say after he crashed into the salon, Schwally said: "I haven’t broken any laws. I’m a marine."

NYPD officer Emilia Rennhack, Jiancai "Ken" Chen, Yan "Jenny" Xu and Meizi Zhang were killed in the crash.

Long IslandCrime and Public Safety