Gestures of love from a heartbroken community at the vigil at Deer Park Salon

Seven-year-old Angelina Sicca scurried to the front of the boarded-up Hawaii Nail & Spa, a popular Deer Park nail salon known for its flawless manicures and courteous staff, on Monday night and laid down a single red rose.

A simple gesture from one of the newest residents of a heartbroken community trying to make sense of an unspeakable tragedy: the deaths of four people at the salon after a suspected drunk driver in an out-of-control SUV slammed into the store’s facade late Friday afternoon.

“We are always there for each other,” said Angelina’s mother, Gina Sicca, 46, of Deer Park, who was on first-name terms with the salon staff.

“When something goes wrong, we do the right thing for each other,” Sicca added. “When we lack something, we give something to each other.”

Heavy hearts

And it was with heavy hearts that they did so on Monday, as a crowd of at least 500 gathered outside the Grand Boulevard salon for a candlelight vigil — the second in as many days — to remember the four people killed in the crash: co-owner Jiancai Chen, 37, of Bayside; employees Yan Xu, 41, and Meizi Zhang, 50, both of Flushing; and off-duty NYPD Officer Emilia Rennhack, a newlywed from Deer Park.

As they wiped away their tears, the mourners left behind small memories.

Yellow daisies, purple lilacs and red roses. Teddy bears and mini glass candles.

And photos of Chen, Xu, Zhang and Rennhack.

One note read: “Emilia, you are the strongest and most beautiful woman in the world. Thank you for being my role model in life.”

“They were just pillars of the community and always friendly and very honest,” Sicca said, adding that the staff always gave her family a warm welcome when they came for manicures.

“They were just family men,” she said. “It’s just so tragic.”

Prosecutors said Monday that 64-year-old Steven Schwally drank 18 beers on Thursday night before driving his SUV through the front of the saloon at a “high rate of speed” the next afternoon.

On Monday, Schwally, whom prosecutors described as a homeless Marine veteran, pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated and was being held on $1 million or $2 million bail. Prosecutors expect to file a higher charge of involuntary manslaughter against Schwally, who has already been convicted of driving while intoxicated.

“The sweetest man ever”

Heather Sheehan, a longtime customer of the salon who attended the vigil with her husband, Michael, and daughters Addison, 11, and Riley, 7, placed a pink and purple bouquet of flowers on the memorial in honor of Chen. The salon owner, she said, was “the sweetest man ever,” especially when she was pregnant herself.

“When I was pregnant with (Addison) … I came here every two weeks to get my nails done,” said Sheehan, 38, of Deer Park. “He always told the technicians to give me an extra 10-minute foot massage.”

And although Sheehan had only visited the salon on special occasions recently, she felt the need to return on Monday to show her children “that you can come together as a community when something terrible happens.”

Visitors, many of whom did not know the victims, passed by the makeshift memorial throughout the day on Monday. Some laid flowers. Others said a prayer or made the sign of the cross.

Babylon City Councilman Rich Schaffer told Rennhack’s family in attendance, including her husband, NYPD Detective Carl Rennhack, who placed a large candle outside the store and hugged mourners, that they would continue to be taken care of. The couple worked together at the 102nd Precinct in Queens.

“Lives have changed in the blink of an eye,” Schaffer said, “and so often we don’t tell people ‘I love you’ until they’re gone.”

The vigil was organized by Jibaritos with Troops, a Bay Shore-based nonprofit organization.

Moment of silence

“This is an opportunity for everyone to come together, show some support to the family and ease the pain,” said Jose Gonzalez, co-founder of the group.

Organizers arranged the names of the four victims on a black table next to a vase of red and white carnations and a red rose.

Those in attendance stood solemnly on Monday as a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace” and held candles for a minute of silence.

“These people lost their lives doing nails,” Gonzalez said. “It shows that you can’t be safe anywhere anymore.”

Mary Ann Doublet, 66, of North Babylon visited the salon regularly and remembered Chen greeting her at the door.

“It’s a heartbreaking situation,” Doublet said. “… It was a great place to come. When you hear something like this is happening, it’s devastating.”

Others were left shocked and worried about what could have been.

“My mother comes to this nail salon a lot,” said Michael Fisher, 35, of Deer Park. “It could have been my mother. It could have been my wife. It could have been my daughter.”