18-year-old charged as adult in double murder of best friends in New Jersey
UNION COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- An 18-year-old man made his first court appearance on Wednesday on charges he murdered two teenage best friends last September.
Their deaths shocked the community of Cranford after prosecutors say he intentionally ran the girls down with his car while they were riding an e-bike.
Isbella Salas was born with a voice to share with the world, and she was planning to do just that.
"She'd been doing theatre since 6th grade, so for a couple of years she was in various plays, she had a beautiful voice," said Salas family attorney Cory Rothbort.
She shared her hopes and dreams, and a lot of her time, with her best friend Maria Niotis.
They were together on an e-bike on the evening of Sept. 29 last year when they were struck and killed.
Officials say Vincent Battiloro, 18, was the driver behind the wheel. He has made his first court appearance since being charged, as an adult, with murder.
He will remain locked up.
It was important to the girls' families that the state elevated the case out of juvenile status.
"Very happy, this is where this case should be, family division as you know, there's a lot of confidentiality, it's difficult to get information," said Niotis family attorney Brent Bramnick.
As the state prepares its case, the two families have a stack of questions, including how police handled prior incidents where Battiloro was accused of harassing Niotis and her family.
His father is a retired Chatham police officer and he has a relative who is a police chief.
"You have a mother who's begging the police for help... and from what we can see right now based on the evidence we see, nothing was done," Bramnick said.
The girls would have graduated this year. The families are far from being anywhere out of mourning.
As they let the criminal process proceed, they are asking for one thing from the community.
"Keep talking about Isabella and keep talking about Maria and keep their names out there and keep honoring them," Rothbort said.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
