LI Mourns As NYPD Officer Killed In Nail Salon Crash Is Laid To Rest

DEER PARK, NY — Hundreds gathered on Saturday to mourn off-duty New York City police officer Emilia Rennhack, one of four people whose lives were tragically taken by an alleged drunk driver in the horrific nail salon crash in Deer Park on June 28.

Over the weekend, a huge crowd gathered at the New Hyde Park Funeral Home to honor Rennhack, who was married to NYPD Detective Carl Rennhack and resided in Deer Park.

It was a sea of blue packed with friends, family, NYPD officers and other community members who lined the street outside of the funeral home.

As a procession carried Rennhack's body to its final resting place, some faces hung low as tears flowed while others stood with their heads held high honoring Rennhack's legacy. The message was clear—Rennhack was loved.

Speaking to the press, PBA President Patrick Hendry said, "She was just a friendly person who was liked by everyone who met her."

Meanwhile, the police department mourned Rennhack on social media, writing, "The NYPD will never forget the positive impact Emilia had on everyone she met."

It seemed like an average Friday with the excitement of celebration in the air when Rennhack went to get her nails done for an upcoming wedding at Hawaii Nail & Spa in Deer Park, where her life was cut short.

Then, around 4:3o p.m., 64-year-old Marine veteran Steven Schwally of Dix Hills plowed his SUV at high speed across the street, a parking lot and into the nail salon, killing Rennhack, Jiancai Chen, 37, of Bayside, Queens, Yan Xu, 41, of Flushing, Queens, and Meizi Zhang, 50, of Flushing, Queens.

Schwally also hospitalized nine others with serious but not life-threatening injuries including 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, 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, police said.

On July 1, community members gathered to honor the departed with a candlelit vigil held at the demolished, and now boarded-up nail salon at 794 Grand Boulevard in Deer Park.

Grieving members of the Deer Park community placed flowers and photos in front of the salon.

Rennhack's husband, Detective Rennhack, attended the vigil with the support of friends and family who stood close to him as his tears flowed.

Detective Rennhack struggled to find the words to honor his wife when Patch spoke with him. He was too distraught to speak through his tears.

Town officials, including Senator Monica Martinez and Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer, spoke to the crowd, offering words of encouragement.

While Schaffer assured the crowd that "justice will be served" to ensure that the victims "didn't die in vain" because of Schwally—who admitted to consuming around 18 beers the night before the crash—he also shared a message of positivity.

"This tragic situation shows how life can change in the blink of an eye," Schaffer said. "It's important to take time out to hug your neighbor and say a good word to people around you. There's so much animosity in the world. Make sure to tell your people you love them, just love each other. Life is too short."