Teen pleads not guilty in hit-and-run that killed two 17-year-old girls on e-bike
Summary
Vincent Battiloro, 18, pleaded not guilty to two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17. Prosecutors allege he intentionally struck the girls with an SUV while they rode an e-bike in Cranford, New Jersey, in September 2025; authorities have not commented on a motive.Key Facts
- Battiloro entered his plea at an arraignment in Union County on Oct. 26, 2026.
- Niotis and Salas died on Sept. 29, 2025, after a Jeep Compass struck them on a residential street in Cranford.
- The complaint says the SUV had major front-end damage and an e-bike embedded in its front.
- The complaint says Battiloro fled on foot and later told police that a masked person with a knife had carjacked him.
- Battiloro was 17 when he was arrested two days after the crash and was initially charged in juvenile court.
- He was transferred to adult court in June and indicted earlier this month on two first-degree murder counts.
- The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14.
- The victims’ families asked the New Jersey attorney general to investigate law enforcement’s dealings with Battiloro and his family.
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