CRANFORD, NJ. (THECOUNT) — Vincent Battiloro, 18, of Garwood, New Jersey, has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cranford High School students Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, who were struck by a vehicle while riding an electric bicycle in Union County last year.
A Union County grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday, prosecutors announced. Authorities allege Battiloro intentionally drove into the girls on Burnside Avenue on Sept. 29, 2025, and then fled the scene. He was 17 at the time of the crash, and his case was later transferred from the juvenile system to adult court.
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Cranford police received a report of the collision at approximately 5:26 p.m. Officers found Niotis and Salas seriously injured. Both girls were transported to area hospitals, where they later died.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, investigators obtained dashboard-camera footage from the Jeep involved in the crash through a search warrant. A detective wrote that the footage allegedly showed Battiloro driving to Burnside Avenue, making a U-turn, accelerating behind the girls as they traveled on the e-bike, and striking them at high speed.
The Jeep stopped on Lincoln Avenue West, according to the affidavit. Investigators allege Battiloro then fled on foot toward Lincoln Park. Witness accounts and home-security footage also formed part of the investigation, according to court documents.
Police located Battiloro through the Jeep’s registration and took him to Cranford police headquarters. According to the affidavit, he told investigators that an unknown person wearing a red mask and carrying a knife had carjacked him while he was driving the Jeep that afternoon.
Battiloro was initially taken into custody after the crash and later released while the investigation continued. Detectives arrested him again two days later, and he was charged with two counts of murder. His identity became public after the case moved to adult court.
The girls’ families have maintained that the deaths were not the result of an accidental collision. They have alleged that Battiloro harassed Niotis before the crash and that she had sought a restraining order. Those claims are separate from the allegations contained in the indictment.
Battiloro had reportedly built a substantial social media following, with approximately 40,000 followers on TikTok. The day after the crash, he hosted a YouTube livestream in which he discussed the girls’ deaths, according to published reports.
Battiloro is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 27, 2026, according to published reporting. The indictment advances the prosecution, but the charges remain allegations, and Battiloro is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Cranford is a township in Union County, in the New York metropolitan area west of New York City. The fatal collision occurred on Burnside Avenue; the precise crash location has not been independently verified.
Google Maps: Burnside Avenue, Cranford, New Jersey (approximate area; exact scene not verified)
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