New Jersey teenager Vincent Battiloro has been indicted in the killings of two girls who were riding electric bikes, including one he was allegedly stalking. The charges came more than a year after the teens were struck and killed.
Battiloro, now 18, was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas. All three teenagers were 17 when the fatal crash occurred in September 2025.
The Garwood resident, whose father is a former police officer, allegedly stalked Niotis for months. Investigators said he was seen accelerating his black Jeep to 70 mph in a 25-mph zone before striking the cyclists from behind in Cranford, a leafy suburb roughly 25 miles west of New York City.
Battiloro was initially arrested and charged as a juvenile before being released. If convicted as an adult, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
“The families are hopeful that justice will be achieved and that a trial in open court will bring what happened to light,” attorneys Brent Bramnick and Cory Rothbort said Wednesday, reflecting on the year-long wait, according to NJ101.5.
“This has been a long time, a long investigation, a waiver, and now the opportunity to present this and have people see it in open court, I think is important for the public and also for the families,” said Bramnick, who represents Niotis’ family.
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“It’s still as difficult as it was from the beginning,” Bramnick added.
Niotis and her family had repeatedly accused Battiloro of stalking her. School officials reportedly directed him to stop harassing the teenager, and he was allegedly angered after being suspended for disregarding that order.
According to a complaint reviewed by Fox News, Battiloro claimed he had been carjacked by a masked person carrying a knife.
However, dashcam footage showed him entering his Jeep and driving toward the home of one of the girls, according to earlier court filings.
Court documents allege that Battiloro later spotted the girls, made a U-turn and accelerated toward them. He struck their bikes before fleeing the scene.
Police questioned Battiloro on the day of the crash but released him. He was arrested two days later. During the intervening hours, he allegedly livestreamed a video in which he said there was “more to the story.”
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