Mother and daughters tragically killed by speeding dodge charger in fiery crash

A Florida individual has been sentenced to over 40 years in prison after a high-speed hit-and-run incident led to the tragic deaths of a mother and her two teenage daughters. T

he crash occurred while he was speeding close to 100 mph in a zone limited to 30 mph.

At age 27, Julius Bernstein received a 45-year prison sentence on Friday for the fatalities of Cynthia Orsa Telliz and her two daughters, 15-year-old Sophia Saidi and 12-year-old Maria Saidi, in North Bay Village, near Miami. 

In September, a jury found him guilty of vehicular homicide as well as leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

On June 27, 2022, Bernstein was racing his Dodge Charger at 109 mph on the John F. Kennedy Causeway in Miami. 

He reduced his speed to around 97 mph when he crashed into Telliz's car, according to the arrest affidavit. 

Telliz attempted to make a left turn, and her Infiniti G35 caught fire after the collision.

Emergency responders arrived quickly, attempting to save the victims. They managed to rescue Telliz, but unfortunately, her daughters were unreachable.

"They perished in the flames," the affidavit noted.

Bernstein did not assist or call 911. Instead, he fled, leaving a trail of blood from his wounds. Authorities issued an arrest warrant after the accident and arrested him in North Carolina in 2023.

During the sentencing, Samir Saidi, the husband of Telliz and father of the girls, made a statement to the court.

"My family members — their lives were stolen from me," he expressed, as reported by a courtroom account from local ABC affiliate WPLG. "I cannot forgive this man."

Omar Orstelliz, Telliz's brother, shared that he frequently reflects on the horrific manner in which his sister and nieces died.