NJ teen who allegedly ran down two teen girls with his car to be charged as an adult

CRANFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- 18-year-old Vincent Battiloro was charged Friday in New Jersey as an adult in connection with the murders of two 17-year-old girls he allegedly ran down with his car while driving 70 miles per hour, according to Union County prosecutors.

Battiloro was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

On September 29, 2025, just before 5:30 p.m. police responded to Burnside Avenue in Cranford after two juvenile females were hit by a car while riding an E-bike, prosecutors said.

Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas were struck by a vehicle that was allegedly driven by Battiloro. They were transported to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.

Battiloro, from nearby Garwood, was located later that day and taken into custody, officials said.

He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder following a "comprehensive and extensive investigation," the Union County Prosecutor's Office said.

An attorney representing the family of one of the victims told WABC that the suspect swatted Niotis' home multiple times before the crash, which was reported to law enforcement. Days after the crash, Battiloro taunted the Niotis family in a livestream.

Those who knew the girls remembered them as being sweet and compassionate.

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