Three years after a fiery crash in North Bay Village claimed the lives of a mother and her two young daughters , the man accused of causing the tragedy is now on trial.

Julius Bernstein is facing three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving death.

The incident happened on the 79th Street Causeway in the summer of 2022, when a Dodge Charger Bernstein was allegedly driving, slammed into the family’s car, sparking an explosion. Cynthia Orsatelliz and her daughters, Sofia and Maria, were killed.

On Tuesday, North Bay Village Police Officer Marcel Ascanio took the witness stand and broke down as he recalled trying to save the victims from the burning vehicle.

“I grabbed mom’s hand. She was so hot that my hand slipped out of her arm,” Ascan

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