An 18-year-old New Jersey man has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two teenage girls who were struck and killed while riding an electric bicycle in Cranford, and a lawyer for one victim's family says the suspect's own dashcam footage could be the key to proving the deaths were intentional.
A Union County grand jury returned the indictment against Vincent Battiloro of Garwood on Wednesday in the September 29, 2025, deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17. Brent Bramnick, an attorney representing the Niotis family, said the recording from the 2021 Black Jeep Compass Battiloro was driving could help prosecutors establish what he was thinking in the moments before the collision.
According to court records, Battiloro was driving up to 70 mph on a residential street with a 25 mph speed limit when he struck the girls from behind on Burnside Avenue. The two best friends were riding together on the e-bike at the time. Cranford police issued citations for speeding, reckless driving, improper passing and an unsafe lane change, among other offenses.
Bramnick said those citations describe dangerous driving, but the murder charges require prosecutors to prove Battiloro purposely caused the deaths. He argued that the dashcam evidence is more important than the traffic allegations because it captures the events as they unfolded.
«So I think even more important than the allegations in the tickets, even though obviously everything's important, is the fact that this was evidently recorded as it's happening,» Bramnick said. «And that requires a lot of work and that requires making sure you have all the evidence to show, piece by piece, what this defendant was thinking, and that it was not an accident.»
Bramnick said he is confident the evidence will support the murder case. «We certainly believe based upon all the evidence presented so far that the intention was to commit those murders,» he said.
Authorities said Battiloro abandoned the SUV and fled on foot after the crash. Police cited him for leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury and failing to report an accident. He is also accused of having improper or unclear license plates, no proof of registration and insurance, and no proof of a driver's license.
The day after the collision, Battiloro appeared in a gaming livestream on YouTube and complained that people were ridiculing him over what he called «false allegations.»
Foulla Niotis, Maria's mother, has said Battiloro, who previously attended Lincoln School in Cranford with her daughter, stalked the girl for months before the crash. She said she reported it to police but nothing came of it. «Nobody said to me if there was anything I could do, restraining orders or anything against him,» she told Fox News Digital. «They just kept saying, 'Oh, he's a juvenile.'»
Bramnick said the defendant is also accused of swatting the Niotis residence on at least two occasions in September 2025.
Cranford police questioned Battiloro on the day of the crash but released him to his father after he claimed someone carjacked him at knifepoint. In June, after reviewing the dashcam footage, police arrested him and charged him as an adult.
Bramnick said Battiloro remains in custody after his defense agreed to detention without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of challenging his status later. Battiloro's defense attorney, Brian Biglin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An arraignment is scheduled for October 27 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. «There'll be an opportunity to have this play out, where people can see what's going on, and that is hugely important for the public,» Bramnick said. «Certainly, enormously important for the family, and I think the Niotis family certainly is happy we're here, and, you know, want justice.»