JERSEY CITY -- A violent offender from age of 11 was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for leaving the scene of a crash that claimed the lives of two teens riding a single bike down a steep street on Jersey City's Western Slope last year.

"One year has gone by and I still wait for his return," said the sobbing mother of Alexander Rosas Flores, 16, who was riding the bike with Elionel Jimenez, 15, when it was struck by 21-year-old Rashaun Bell on Oct. 18, 2017.

Holding a large picture of her son as she stood beside Jimenez's mother, Esperanza Sanchez, Lucia Flores Campos continued saying "I believe that if the defendant had stopped for a second and helped, they might not have lost their lives. ... It hurts and it's not fair."

When given a chance to speak, Bell said "I do feel sorry for the kids and I'm sorry I ever got in the car that day. I apologize to the family, but I'm not the cause of it. ... I regret that it happened. That's all I can say."

The boys were riding the bike down two steep sections of Leonard Street when they crossed Terrace Avenue onto the Secaucus Road off ramp from Routes 1&9 North and were struck by Bell's car.

Jimenez was unresponsive when found on the ramp and pronounced dead at the scene around 2:40 p.m. Rosas Floras was thrown over an 8-foot fence and fell 30 feet to Route 1&9's northbound lanes. He was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m. the next day.

Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre sentenced Bell -- who avoided a trial by pleading guilty -- to 5 years each on two counts of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and those terms will be served consecutively. He was also sentenced to a 3-year concurrent sentence for drug possession.

When he was arrested in 2016, Jersey City police called Bell one of the city's most violent gang members.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski said Bell has 25 prior arrests, beginning at the age of 11, and he has seven criminal convictions. His adult convictions include drug and violent crimes. He has served two probation terms and two terms of incarceration.

"He left those two boys to die like dogs," said Seborowski, adding that the boys' mothers understand why they died, but cannot understand how Bell acted after striking the pair.

Bell's heavily damaged vehicle was found empty a short distance away. Bell's girlfriend, Denasia Felder, 20, was a passenger in the car and refused to provide Bell's identity to police.

A second woman in the car gave Bell up and Bell surrendered two days after the crash. Felder pleaded guilty to two counts of hindering his apprehension.

The prosecutor said an hour before the crash Bell said on Facebook that he had marijuana. She said it is unfortunate that the law makes it advantageous for a possibly intoxicated driver to flee the scene because it results in a leaving the scene charge rather than a possible homicide charge.

"He is being rewarded," Seborowski said. "If he stayed at the scene and had we had been able to prove he was using drugs -- but he fled. The state has to close that loophole," Seborowski said.

Bell's attorney, Inessa Abayev, argued for the judge to be more lenient than the plea agreement and said her client would never place himself in similar circumstances.

"I always believe that people are capable of change." Abayev said, adding that the decision made by the boys to barrel down the hill onto the exit ramp "was tragic."

Bell smiled at his supporters as he was led from court after the hearing. Arre asked several of his supporters to leave the courtroom for being disruptive during the hearing.