Minivan slams into a Long Island nail salon, killing 4 and injuring 9, fire official says

NEW YORK — A minivan slammed into a Long Island nail salon Friday, killing four people and injuring 9, a Suffolk County fire official said.

The vehicle came to a stop inside the Hawaii Nail & Spa store in Deer Park about 4:40 p.m.

All of those killed and injured were inside the salon at the time, Lt. Kevin Heissenbuttel said.

It was not immediately clear whether the crash was accidental or intentional, Heissenbuttel said. Investigators were on the scene into the evening.

Photos from the scene showed a gaping hole in the storefront, which is located in a strip mall.

Eric Perez told Newsday he was loading groceries into his car across from the accident scene when he heard the sound of a speeding car and then a noise that “sounded like shattering.”

"It was a sound that I never heard before,” he said.

As he and his wife were leaving the parking lot, he said, he saw emergency crews removing victims from the scene.

“We saw the ambulance and emergency workers pulling one body out,” he said. “And I saw two women I think worked there come out on stretchers.”

Suffolk County police did not immediately respond to emailed requests for information.