Two Teenagers Were Killed in a Hit-and-Run Accident — Their Families Were Convinced It Was Murder

The school year had barely started when residents of Cranford, N.J. gathered to hold a vigil for two 17-year-old girls. Hundreds gathered as candles dotted the quiet street of the New Jersey suburb. "I don't think any of us had a decent night's sleep because it could be our own," Cranford resident Brandi Schmidt told WABC.

Attendees left behind cards, flowers, and stuffed animals in the place where Maria Niotis and Isabella Rose Salas were fatally struck by a car while riding e-bikes, per CNN. The hit-and-run incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, 2025. What happened to Niotis and Salas? Here's what we know.

Niotis and Salas were going to get ice cream when a Jeep SUV ran over the two girls. "Next thing you know, there were bodies flying up in the air," said Niotis's uncle Emmanuel Niotis to The New York Times. One e-bike was trapped in the grill of the Jeep, which was abandoned by the driver, who fled on foot.

Two days after the crash, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office announced that an arrest had been made. The suspect was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, which entails “intentionally, knowingly, or purposefully” causing someone’s death," per The Times. Niotis' parents already had a theory as to who was responsible. Their daughter had been the victim of a stalker who had been "plotting this attack against Maria for months," they alleged in a statement obtained by Fox 5.

The families of the two victims grew increasingly frustrated by the fact that police were initially treating the deaths of Niotis and Salas as anything but intentional. Residents who lived on the same block as the Niotis family said the suspected driver allegedly parked outside of the victim's home for months. He also repeatedly contacted Niotis online and would show up at her school. The alleged stalker was identified by the Niotis family as 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro.

Niotis spoke about Battiloro to friends and even filed complaints with her school's principal as well as police. Elio Martinez, 17, a friend of Niotis's, showed The Times screenshots of Instagram messages he sent Battiloro. In them, Martinez is asking Battiloro to leave Niotis alone. Battiloro responded by threatening to release nude photos of Niotis. "I did it to one girl," he wrote. "I'll do it to another."

On Sept. 23, Battiloro referenced Niotis on a livestream, saying she accused him of sending her porn. He discussed vengeance, then called Domino's and ordered two pizzas to Niotis's house, telling the employee that they would get paid in cash at the door. During a livestream Battiloro did the night after the hit-and-run, he thanked his TikTok followers and told them he loved them. "And regardless of what happens, if you don’t see me streaming for a little bit, you’ll understand why," he said.