CRANFORD, NJ — Vincent Battiloro was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder after police say he ran down and killed two Cranford High School students with his vehicle last year, according to court documents.
A Union County grand jury indicted Battiloro, 18, of Garwood, on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the grand jurors presented that Battiloro, on Sept. 29, 2025, in Cranford "did knowingly and/or purposely cause the death and/or serious bodily injury" resulting in the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas.
An arraignment date for Battiloro has not been set yet.
The Fatal Crash
On Sept. 29, 2025, Cranford Police were called to Burnside Avenue shortly after 5:30 p.m. after reports that two teenage girls riding electric bicycles along Burnside Avenue had been hit by a vehicle.
The two girls were airlifted to the hospital, where they later died, authorities said.
Both girls were Cranford High School students.
Battiloro was later identified as the driver of the 2021 black Jeep through court records.
Although he was 17 at the time of the crash, in June 2026, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said he would be tried as an adult.
Events leading up to the crash found Battiloro had been stalking at least one of the girls for months leading up to the crash.
The alleged harassment can be traced back to March, when Brent Bramnick, the attorney for the family of Maria, says Maria's mother, Foulla, first alerted police to disturbing interactions and attempts by Battiloro to contact her daughter.
In the months following the attack, Niotis' mother Foulla has also had death threats directed to her workplace, the family's lawyer, Brent Bramnick, said.
He is also connected to two swatting cases in September involving the family of one of the girls leading up to the crash.
Later in March, a fake 911 call was made, sending officials to Maria's home. Maria told her mother she believed the call was placed by Battiloro, according to Bramnick.
Bramnick said that seeing the records of these phone calls reporting alarming behavior "with all of these other situations talking about violence...it's horrifying."
Additionally, the parents of Vincent Battiloro called police at least four times about his behavior leading up to the crash, according to new information published by NJ Advance Media.
Their first of four phone calls was in August of 2025 and repeatedly asked for assistance with their son's escalating behavior, according to NJ Advance Media.
Bramnick points to alarming language from Jeffrey Battiloro as cause for concern.
According to the report, the elder Battiloro, who is retired from the Chatham Police Department, told officers he wanted them to "just to sit down, talk" with their son and, he added, "so I have myself covered also."
It's still unclear what took place after the phone call, as Garwood Police have not released other documents related to the case due to Battiloro being a juvenile at the time of the crash.
Since the deaths, the community has rallied around the families of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas.
Along with a decorated gazebo downtown, a number of other tributes and memorials continue to be held in the girls' honor since their death in September.
At the end of 2025, the Cranford and greater Union County community came together to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the families through a music sale put on by a local DJ who partnered with a restaurant in the area.
Most recently, on Sept. 25, a candlelight vigil was held at the crash site to honor the girls' memories.
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is urged to contact Union County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force Detective Alex Lanza at 908-370-4318 or Cranford
Police Detective Lieutenant Spencer Durkin at 908-709-7346.
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
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