Parlier, Calif. — A quiet Tuesday afternoon turned into a nightmare when 15‑year‑old Juliani Moreno was hit and killed by a speeding vehicle as he crossed the street with his girlfriend near Mendocino and Parlier avenues just before 6 p.m. police say. The impact was sudden and devastating, leaving Moreno dead at the scene and his loved ones reeling from the loss.
Juliani was walking across the roadway around 5:45 p.m. March 10 when officers say a car traveling far above the speed limit struck him. Witnesses described a loud crash and immediate chaos as first responders rushed to help. Moreno’s girlfriend, who was with him at the time, said she barely had time to react before the car hit them. He was pronounced dead where he fell.
Officers quickly traced the vehicle to a short pursuit that ended when the car plowed into Francy’s Bridal Flower Shop about a block down the road. Surveillance footage from the shop showed the car barreling through the landscaping and coming to rest against the store’s front, scattering debris across the sidewalk.
Police identified the driver as 35‑year‑old Tiffany Mercado of Parlier. Investigators say Mercado showed clear signs of impairment at the scene and during a field sobriety test. She was arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail. Prosecutors charged her with multiple felonies, including vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence causing death, with bail set at $315,000.
The intersection was closed for hours as officers from Parlier PD, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol worked to sort out what happened. Neighbors said this stretch of road is busy with foot traffic, and they’ve long worried about speeding cars near the schools and shops that line the avenue.
Friends and family gathered in grief in the days after the crash, remembering Juliani as a joyful boy with bright plans. He was a freshman at Immanuel High School and had just begun playing football, a sport he loved and worked hard at. His classmates and coaches described him as tender‑hearted and full of potential, qualities that made his sudden death all the more heartbreaking for the community.
