A Deer Park nail salon has posted shocking surveillance video on their Instagram account that shows the moment a drink driver plowed their vehicle into their storefront, killing four and injuring nine others.
Hawaii Nail & Spa was essentially destroyed – along with the lives of multiple people – on Friday, June 28, when Steven Schwally, 64, allegedly crashed his SUV through the front window of the business at approximately 4:30 p.m. with such force that witnesses said it nearly reached the other end of the building before finally coming to a stop.
As a result of the crash, four people – Meizi Zhang, 50, Yan Xu, 41, Jiancai Chen, 37, and NYPD officer and newlywed Emilia Rennhack, 30 – lost their lives. An additional nine individuals were hospitalized with varying degrees of injuries.
Schwally – who had previously pleaded guilty to DWI in 2013 and was sentenced to three years of probation – suffered only non-life-threatening injuries.
On Sunday, June 30, Hawaii Nail & Spa posted the video depicting the fateful crash on their Instagram, along with a plea for assistance and support made by Vincent Zheng – the nephew of victim Jiancai Chen – from the public for those affected by the tragedy.
“My uncle left behind two very young children, a 10-year-old and a 5-year-old,” Zheng said. “With the shop completely destroyed and their mother suffering from critical back and hip injuries, the family has lost their only source of income.”
Zheng posted a link to a GoFundMe campaign for his family; a second campaign for Yan Xu – an employee at the spa who leaves behind a 12-year-old son and a 70-year-old father – can be found by clicking here.
