Four people were killed and nine injured when an SUV crashed into a nail salon in Long Island, New York, on Friday afternoon.
The car crashed into Hawaii Nail & Spa on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park shortly before 5 p.m.
Suffolk County police said Saturday that the driver, Steven Schwalli, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Schwalli suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip where he will be arraigned at a later date.
All of the dead and injured were inside the salon at the time, Lt. Kevin Heissenbuttel said, adding that some people were trapped inside and emergency crews had to rescue them.
According to a police news release, Schwary, 64, was driving a southbound Chevrolet Traverse at a high rate of speed, driving through a parking lot and then crossing onto Grand Boulevard. Authorities said the vehicle continued through a nail salon parking lot and crashed through the windshield.
Witnesses told NBC New York that the SUV drove through the front of the store and nearly went off the back of the salon.
Three women and one man died at the scene, police said, while eight of the injured were taken by ambulance to local hospitals and one was flown by helicopter to a hospital.
NBC New York reported that a witness saw a car speeding through a parking lot across the street before crashing. The witness said the driver “appeared to be in a hurry” and was trying to avoid another car when it slammed into the building.
Photos from the scene showed a large hole in the storefront.
Another witness said he heard the sound of a car speeding along, followed by a “devastating” noise, according to the Associated Press.
“It was a sound I’d never heard before,” he said.
About 150 firefighters and emergency personnel rushed to the scene.
