A 17-year-old boy from New Jersey, charged with the fatal car crash that killed two girls, was reportedly speeding at the time of the incident.
According to WNBC, the suspect was driving 70 mph in a 25 mph zone when he collided with Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both aged 17, while they were on electronic bikes in Cranford. Witnesses suggested the crash seemed intentional, and the driver fled the scene afterward.
Sources informed WNBC that Salas and Niotis were acquainted with their assailant. The teenage suspect was also accused of stalking one of the girls, frequently parking outside her home for three months. Reportedly, one of the girls had secured a restraining order against him.
The victims’ families, in a joint statement to WNBC, described the suspect as a “coward of a man, who had been plotting this attack against Maria for months, [and] carried out this horrific act.” Reports suggested that Niotis might have been the target during Monday’s incident.
Authorities arrested the teen boy on Wednesday. Following the fatal crash, he allegedly posted a YouTube video claiming to have been bullied and criticized the government’s approach to the mental health crisis. During the livestream, he reportedly referenced the backlash he received from viewers upset about the deaths of Salas and Niotis.
“I’m a nice kid, I’m 17 years old with a good family by my side, and these allegations that have been ruining everything—it’s a shame,” he allegedly remarked during Tuesday’s livestream.
Those close to the case speculated that the suspect was not arrested before Monday’s incident because he is related to a police chief. Since then, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro confirmed the suspect is his nephew.
The teen boy remains jailed on two counts of first-degree murder. Though he has been identified in multiple media reports, CrimeOnline is not naming him until he is charged as an adult.
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