Vincent Battiloro is accused of killing Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas with a Jeep while they rode an e-bike.
ELIZABETH, NJ — An 18-year-old Garwood man appeared in adult court Wednesday on murder charges tied to the deaths of two 17-year-old best friends who were struck by a Jeep while riding an e-bike in Cranford last September.
Vincent Battiloro is now being prosecuted in Superior Court after his case was moved out of juvenile court. Prosecutors say he intentionally drove into Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas on Sept. 29, 2025, on Burnside Avenue. The transfer makes more of the criminal case public, though some records remain shielded because Battiloro was 17 at the time of the crash.
Battiloro appeared by video Wednesday before a Superior Court judge in Union County. He answered brief questions and agreed to remain detained while the case moves ahead. The hearing lasted only a few minutes and marked his first public court appearance since prosecutors announced that he would be tried as an adult. Brent Bramnick, an attorney for the Niotis family, said the move was important because the family had struggled to get information while the matter was in Family Court.
The deaths stunned Cranford, where the girls were remembered as close friends who spent much of their time together. Authorities said they were riding an electric bike shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 when they were hit on the 40 block of Burnside Avenue, a residential street with a posted 25 mph speed limit. Both girls were taken to hospitals and pronounced dead a short time later. Prosecutors have said the driver left the scene after the crash.
Battiloro faces two counts of first-degree murder and several traffic offenses. Earlier reports said tickets issued in the case included allegations of speeding, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving without proper license, registration or insurance documents. Authorities have said he was detained and questioned after the crash, then released pending more investigation. He was arrested two days later, on Oct. 1, after a criminal complaint was filed.
Family members and their attorneys have raised questions about earlier contacts between Battiloro, Niotis and police. They have said Battiloro had harassed Niotis before the crash and that her family had reported concerns to authorities. Bramnick said the family wants to know what action police took before the girls were killed. “You have a mother who’s begging the police for help,” Bramnick said, adding that the family believes more should have been done.
Those allegations have added pressure around the case because Battiloro has relatives with law enforcement ties. His father has been described as a retired police officer, and another relative is a police chief. Attorneys for the families have said those connections are part of the questions they want examined. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed every prior report involving Battiloro, and officials have cited the ongoing investigation and his age at the time as reasons some information has not been released.
Investigators have also reviewed video and witness accounts from the day of the crash. Reports citing investigators said a black Jeep Compass was involved and that dashcam evidence undercut an early account that the vehicle had been taken in a carjacking. Prosecutors have not laid out all evidence in open court, and no trial date has been set. Battiloro’s decision to waive a detention hearing means he will remain jailed while prosecutors present the case to a grand jury for a possible indictment.
Salas’ family attorney, Cory Rothbort, said Isabella had been active in theater and loved to sing. “She’d been doing theatre since 6th grade,” Rothbort said, describing her as a young woman with “a beautiful voice.” Niotis’ family has said Maria was deeply loved and had plans for life after high school. The girls would have graduated this year, a detail their families have repeated as they ask that the public remember them by name.
A memorial grew near the crash scene after the girls were killed, and hundreds gathered at a vigil the next night. Friends and neighbors described Maria and Isabella as kind, close and full of promise. Cranford officials called the deaths heartbreaking and senseless after the arrest was announced. The case has continued to draw attention across Union County because of the ages of the victims, the adult-court transfer and the families’ claims that warning signs were missed.
Battiloro has not entered a public trial phase, and the charges remain accusations unless proven in court. The next major step is expected to be grand jury action in Union County Superior Court. As of Thursday, he remained detained while the murder case moved forward.
Author note: Last updated July 2, 2026.