A startup founder moaned about his scraped knee instead of helping a woman and her daughter who died in a 'fireball' crash he caused in California, prosecutors have claimed.

Zachary Chernicky, 31, did not once check on Ivana Balistreri, 29, and her baby girl, Lilliana, after he plowed his red Tesla into their Lexus on the morning of December 2, 2025, on Highway 87 in San Jose, according to new court documents filed by the state. 

Chernicky was driving the electric vehicle between 100mph and 142mph when he slammed into heavy traffic and 'turned his car into a literal bomb,' the filing obtained by KRON4 read. 

His car slammed into the mother and daughter so hard that they became trapped and 'burned to death' inside their vehicle, prosecutors said. 

Horrific images showed the two cars completely charred and a third destroyed from the wreck. Another showed a lone pink children's sneaker thrown across the road.

Zack Martins, Balistreri's fiancé, was driving the car with her and their one-year-old in the passenger seats. He survived with injuries after attempting to rescue them, prosecutors said. 

After failing to help the victims, Chernicky walked away from the crash and purchased a brand-new Tesla that he showed off on social media, court records said, according to the report. 

Authorities launched a months-long investigation into Chernicky before arresting and charging him with two counts of murder in July. 

He has not entered a plea and has remained in jail since, but his defense attorney is expected to fight for Chernicky's release. 

An initial plea hearing was held in August, but has since been postponed to November 17. 

His lawyer is trying to get him released on bail before next month, but Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Marisa McKeown filed a motion opposing pre-trial release. 

'His actions before and after the crash are critical in understanding his ongoing dangerousness to the public,' McKeown said of Chernicky in her filing, according to the outlet. 

During the August hearing, Balistreri's grief-stricken family came out to show their support for her and Lilliana. 

'I miss my best friend. I miss my niece. But we need everyone to come out to show our support for them, so we can keep this guy in jail, so he's not doing this to anybody else's family,' family member Rosie Balistreri told ABC 7. 

She added: 'We are kind of in a softer place, I guess you could say. And then when everything came up again, when he got arrested, it just reopened that wound again. 

Martins also shared his heartbreak, telling the station: 'I mean, I lost everything. You know, they were my everything.' 

He was driving the family's car that day when Chernicky's Tesla plowed into them, he recalled. 

'I was shocked when we learned about the numbers. You know, 140 miles an hour at 10.45 in the morning? It just makes no sense. It's just such a lack of character and remorse,' Martins recalled. 

Lilliana was just about to celebrate her second birthday when the crash claimed her life, People reported. 

Francesca Alexander, another one of Balistreri's sisters, told the outlet that their mother, Benedetta Balistreri, received a text that morning informing her that her child was in a car crash. 

Their father, Aurelio, then drove to the scene and tried to see what was going on, but was stopped by police, Francesca recalled. 

He was then told to go to the hospital because the crash victims were being transported there. 

When they got there, Martins told Balistreri's parents that she and Lilliana had been killed. 

Balistreri came from a close-knit Italian family. Her older brother was born in Sicily, while she and her older sisters were born in San Jose, family members told the outlet. 

A funeral service was held for the mother and daughter at Santa Teresa Catholic Church on January 17. 

Chernicky is the founder of a software company for DJs, according to his LinkedIn.

He launched the firm, Chernicky Ventres LLC, three months after the accident, and previously worked as a technical support engineer for several companies in Silicon Valley. 

The Daily Mail contacted the Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney's Office for comment. 

Chernicky is being represented by a public defender. Their name was not immediately made available.