Drunk driver was going 78 mph when he crashed into nail salon and killed 4, prosecutors say

NEW YORK (AP) — The drunk driver who killed four people and injured nine more when he crashed his SUV into a Long Island nail salon was driving 78 mph (125 kph) at the time of the crash, prosecutors said Thursday as the driver pleaded not guilty to a multitude of charges that include murder and vehicular manslaughter.

Steven Schwally, 64, entered the pleas to a 38-count indictment for the deadly June 28 crash at the Hawaii Nail & Spa store in Deer Park.

The Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, which is representing Schwally, had no comment on the charges.

Schwally had earlier been charged with driving while intoxicated for the crash that killed an off-duty New York Police Department officer and three other people.

Newsday reported that several people who were injured in the crash were in court Thursday when Schwally was indicted on the new charges. State Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro remanded Schwally to jail without bail.

Prosecutors said in court papers that Schwally purchased two 375-milliliter bottles of Montebello Long Island Iced Tea at 11 a.m. on the day of the crash.

The cashier who sold him the 42-proof beverage told investigators that Schwally, a retiree who previously worked for a private security firm, was a regular at the liquor store and always made the same purchase of Montebello Long Island Iced Tea, paying $13.99 for two bottles.

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After his purchase, Schwally drove around Deer Park until about 4:30 p.m. when he plowed his Chevrolet Traverse into the front of the nail salon, dragging four people under the vehicle and finally crashing into the back of the store, prosecutors said. Investigators determined that he was driving 78 mph (125 kph) one second before the crash, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said previously that 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 “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.”

A Legal Aid attorney described Schwally at his earlier arraignment as a Marine veteran who had lived in Suffolk County for 50 years. Prosecutors said Schwally had no regular address and had been living in hotels for more than a year.