Inset: Julius Bernstein (Miami-Dade Corrections). Background: The Infiniti G35 that Bernstein hit at nearly 100 mph, causing it to burst into flames and killing three people (WPLG).
In a tragic case that underscores the devastating impact of reckless driving, a Florida man has been sentenced to over four decades behind bars. Julius Bernstein, 27, received a 45-year prison sentence for causing the deaths of a mother and her two teenage daughters in a catastrophic hit-and-run incident. The crash, which occurred in North Bay Village near Miami, saw Bernstein driving at a perilous speed of nearly 100 mph in a zone limited to 30 mph.
The victims, Cynthia Orsa Telliz and her daughters, 15-year-old Sophia Saidi and 12-year-old Maria Saidi, lost their lives in the horrific collision. In September, a jury found Bernstein guilty of vehicular homicide and fleeing the scene of a deadly accident, leading to his sentencing this past Friday.
The events unfolded on June 27, 2022, when Bernstein was speeding at 109 mph on the John F. Kennedy Causeway in Miami before slightly reducing his speed to about 97 mph. At this reckless pace, he crashed his Dodge Charger into Telliz’s vehicle as she attempted a left turn. The impact was so severe that her Infiniti G35 burst into flames almost immediately.
Emergency responders arrived swiftly, managing to extricate Telliz from the burning wreckage. Tragically, they were unable to save her daughters, who perished in the inferno.
According to the affidavit, the scene was hauntingly described by officers who stated, “They burned alive.”
Despite the catastrophic nature of the accident, Bernstein made no attempt to assist the victims or alert emergency services. Instead, he fled the scene, leaving behind a trail of blood from his own injuries. An arrest warrant was soon issued, and Bernstein was eventually apprehended in North Carolina in 2023, sealing his fate with his subsequent conviction and sentencing.
Samir Saidi, Telliz’s husband and the father of the two girls, addressed the court during sentencing.
“My family — their lives were taken from me,” he said, according to a courtroom report from local ABC affiliate WPLG. “I cannot forgive this individual.”
Telliz’s brother, Omar Orstelliz, said he often thinks about the brutal way in which his sister and nieces died.
“Being left alone in their final moments is something we live with every day,” he reportedly said.
