The New Jersey teenager accused of killing two girls in a wealthy neighborhood last year appeared expressionless in court Monday as the victims’ grieving mothers faced him while wearing T-shirts bearing their daughters’ images.
Vincent Battiloro, the son of a former police officer from a prominent local family, appeared in person at the Union County courtroom in Elizabeth. It was his first in-person hearing since prosecutors charged him as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17.
Battiloro, who was 17 at the time, allegedly struck Niotis and Salas as they rode their e-bikes along a quiet Cranford street in September 2025, prosecutors said.
Police said the Jeep was traveling 70 mph in a 25 mph zone when the crash occurred.
Now 18, Battiloro wore a khaki jail jumpsuit over a gray T-shirt and slippers. He was handcuffed in front as he was escorted into court, showing little emotion.
An entire row in the courtroom gallery was occupied by relatives and supporters of Niotis and Salas, many wearing shirts emblazoned with the words, “Justice for Bella and Maria.”
The girls’ mothers sobbed and stared at Battiloro as he entered for the brief hearing.
Battiloro’s attorney, Rubin Sinins, entered a not-guilty plea on his client’s behalf and said the defense was considering an insanity plea. Sinins also said he planned to seek a change of venue.
After the hearing, Salas’ mother, Maria Salas, spoke to reporters through tears. “We will fight like hell until they get the justice they deserve,” she said.
“It’s harder and harder every day,” Niotis’ mother, Foula Niotis, said. “I just wish I could bring her back. But I know I can’t.
“So I have to get justice for her and Bella. It’s the only way, because I believe that’s where their souls will rest as well.”
Battiloro, whose father is a former police officer, was allegedly taken into custody on the day of the crash after fleeing the scene on foot. However, Niotis’ family attorney, Brent Bramnick, previously alleged that he was released hours later without charges into the custody of his father, Jeffrey Battiloro.
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He was arrested again two days later and initially charged as a juvenile. Prosecutors moved to charge him as an adult in June.
Bramnick has questioned whether Battiloro’s law enforcement connections affected the investigation. His father is a retired Chatham Borough police officer, while his uncle is the police chief in nearby Westfield.
“Show us what happened that night, when allegedly, the defendant’s father came to the scene, and he was let go,” Bramnick said outside court Monday.
The families issued a joint statement calling on the state attorney general to investigate “all law enforcement dealings and interactions with Vincent Battiloro and his family.” They also asked that the findings be released publicly.
Bramnick criticized authorities for failing to provide the families with police body-camera footage from the incident.
“Right now, we don’t have anybody’s cams, and it’s a year later. That’s concerning,” Bramnick said. “Where are the body cams? Why are we not looking at them? The public has a right to know what happened before this incident. What led up to this?”
Regarding the defense’s potential use of an insanity or “diminished capacity” argument, Bramnick said: “That’s their strategy. That’s their tactic. We prepared the families for that.”
When Battiloro initially spoke with police, he claimed an armed, masked person had carjacked him. Prosecutors said dashcam footage from the vehicle showed Battiloro was the person driving the Jeep Compass.
He then allegedly drove toward one of the girls’ homes near Burnside Avenue in Cranford and parked until he saw the duo on bikes, prosecutors alleged.
He made a U-turn and then raced in their direction, taking them out, prosecutors claimed.
Niotis’ family claims Battiloro had stalked Maria for months prior, a fact which they reported to the police. They claimed cops failed to intervene.
The troubled teen’s own mom and dad also made four calls to the police in the weeks before the killings, reporting juvenile issues, including that Battiloro allegedly sprayed his dad in the face with mace and stole his car.
If convicted, Battiloro faces up to life in prison.
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