A New Jersey man accused of killing two teenage girls claimed to police that he had been carjacked, but investigators say dashcam video from his own vehicle placed him behind the wheel as he drove toward the scene, according to a criminal complaint obtained by News Agency.
Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, were riding an electric bike in Cranford, New Jersey, on Sept. 29, 2025, when prosecutors allege 18-year-old Vincent Battiloro deliberately struck them. Authorities announced Friday that he has been charged as an adult.
After detectives took Battiloro to the Cranford Police Department, he allegedly told them he had been carjacked earlier in the day, before the girls were killed, by an unidentified person wearing a red mask and carrying a knife, the complaint says.
Investigators, however, say video recovered from the vehicle’s dash camera contradicted that version of events.
Vincent Battiloro, 18, was publicly named after prosecutors said he would face adult charges in the deaths of two New Jersey teens. (VinnieBat118/YouTube)
According to the complaint, Battiloro said he had been driving the Jeep Compass that afternoon when an unknown masked individual armed with a knife took the vehicle. But after search warrants were carried out on the Jeep, authorities obtained dashcam footage that allegedly showed Battiloro entering the vehicle and driving it to the Burnside Avenue area, where he parked. Moments later, the two victims were seen on the e-bike traveling in the opposite direction, the complaint states.
Police said the Sept. 29, 2025, footage showed Battiloro getting into the Jeep Compass and driving to Burnside Avenue in Cranford, near the residence of one of the victims. Soon after he stopped there, investigators said the two girls appeared on electric bicycles heading away from the area.
Two teenagers died in a hit-and-run crash, and the teenage suspect is now charged as an adult. (GoFundMe and FOX 5)
Detectives said Battiloro then made a U-turn in order to follow the victims while he accelerated. The dash camera video then allegedly shows both girls being struck at a “high rate of speed before the vehicle ultimately stopped,” according to the complaint.
Afterwards, according to the complaint, Battiloro fled the area by foot.
Brent Bramnick, who is representing Niotis’ family, told News Agency they are thankful the case was moved to adult court.
“The decision to try the defendant as an adult is a welcomed sliver of justice. We are grateful to the Prosecutor’s Office for their efforts as well as the community at large for continuing to keep Maria and Isabella’s memories alive,” Bramnick said.
Battiloro’s identity was previously withheld because he was a minor when allegedly committing the crimes, but his case was transferred to adult court on Friday. He is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Bramnick previously told News Agency that the suspect allegedly swatted the family’s home in Cranford twice in September. He said both incidents took place between Sept. 1 and Sept. 15 in 2025.
A memorial was set up for Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas. (FOX 5)
After the two incidents, Bramnick said the Niotis family wants to know “what went on?”
“What investigation, if any, went on after all that the family reported and all the information that the police had in their possession. That’s the question. So we need those questions answered,” Bramnick said. “And that’s why we’re involved, because we’re doing our own investigations to try to get to the bottom of those questions.”
Foulla Niotis, Maria’s mother, previously told Fox News previously that the suspect “planned” the attack and thought he was “untouchable” because he had relatives working in law enforcement.
“I want justice for Maria and Isabella. That’s what I want,” she added.
News Agency reached out to Battiloro’s attorney and father for comment.
