They didn't do anything to help my baby
In Cranford, New Jersey, the death of two seventeen-year-old girls on a September evening has moved from the quieter corridors of juvenile justice into the full light of adult court. Vincent Battiloro, now eighteen, faces two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly striking Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis with his vehicle as they rode together on an electric bike — a moment of violence that lasted seconds and left grief that has not stopped. The decision to try him as an adult lifts the seal of confidentiality that had protected his identity, and with it comes a reckoning that one mother believes was delayed far too long.
- Two teenage girls were killed in a matter of seconds when a Jeep allegedly struck their electric bike on a quiet Cranford street at dusk — and the driver was initially released to his father the same night.
- A two-day gap between the crash and the arrest has fueled deep suspicion, with the victim's mother alleging that family ties to law enforcement shielded the suspect from immediate accountability.
- Maria Niotis's mother says she had reported stalking by Battiloro before the crash and was ignored — a claim that transforms this case from a traffic tragedy into something far more troubling.
- The waiver from juvenile to adult court strips away the confidentiality protections that had kept Battiloro's name from the public, signaling that prosecutors intend to pursue the heaviest possible consequences.
- The case now moves to Union County Superior Court, where first-degree murder charges carry the gravest legal weight — and where two grieving families are waiting for the justice they say was denied from the start.
On the evening of September 29, 2025, Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis were riding an electric bike through Cranford, New Jersey, when a black Jeep Compass allegedly struck them. Both seventeen-year-old girls were rushed to local hospitals and pronounced dead shortly after. The driver, then seventeen himself, was Vincent Battiloro of Garwood — a name the public would not learn for months, shielded by juvenile court confidentiality rules.
What followed the crash raised immediate questions. Battiloro was detained and questioned, then released into his father's custody that same night. His father had contacted law enforcement after the incident. Two days passed before an arrest was made on October 1. The 911 calls captured the chaos of the scene — callers describing a car that "flew down the road," a victim unresponsive, someone trapped beneath a vehicle, a voice crying out in disbelief for help to come faster.
Maria's mother, Foulla Niotis, has spoken publicly about what she believes the crash truly was. She alleges Battiloro had been stalking her daughter before the collision, that the family had reported it to police and received no meaningful response, and that Battiloro believed himself protected by relatives in law enforcement. "They didn't do anything to help my baby," she said. Her demand is uncomplicated: justice for Maria and for Isabella.
On Friday, the Union County Prosecutor's Office announced that Battiloro — now eighteen — would be tried as an adult. The decision moved the case into Superior Court, where first-degree murder charges carry the heaviest consequences the law allows, and where his name, once sealed, is now part of the public record.
Vincent Battiloro was eighteen years old when prosecutors announced he would stand trial as an adult. The decision, handed down Friday by the Union County Prosecutors Office, meant his name could finally be released to the public—a name that had been shielded by juvenile court confidentiality since the crash that killed two girls on a September evening in Cranford, New Jersey.
Battiloro, now eighteen and from Garwood, was seventeen when he allegedly struck Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis as they rode an electric bike near 5:26 p.m. on September 29, 2025. Both girls were seventeen. Both were taken to local hospitals. Both were pronounced dead shortly after arrival. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, along with multiple traffic violations.
The sequence of events after the crash revealed a peculiar gap in the immediate response. Police records and 911 audio obtained through public records requests showed that Battiloro was detained for questioning following the incident, then released to his father. His father, according to those same records, contacted law enforcement after the crash. Two days passed before Battiloro was arrested on October 1. The delay raised questions that would later surface in the victim's family's public statements.
The 911 calls painted the scene in raw, fragmented detail. One caller reported that a black 2021 Jeep Compass had "flew down the road and hit people," with one victim unresponsive. Another caller said there was "someone underneath a car." A third voice, strained and urgent: "There's a girl on the road, and there's a car! Oh my God, please hurry!" The dispatchers heard the shock and helplessness in real time.
Foulla Niotis, Maria's mother, later told Fox News that she believed the crash was not random. She said Battiloro had stalked her daughter before the collision and that he thought himself untouchable—protected, she alleged, by relatives working in law enforcement. She said the family had reported the stalking to police and received no meaningful response. "They should have done a lot. They didn't do anything," she said. "They didn't do anything to help my baby." What she wanted now was simple and absolute: justice for Maria and Isabella.
The waiver to adult court meant Battiloro would face the full weight of the criminal system rather than the juvenile system's rehabilitative framework. It also meant his identity, once sealed, was now part of the public record. The case would proceed in the Criminal Part of Superior Court in Union County, where the charges—first-degree murder—carry the heaviest possible consequences. What happens next depends on the evidence prosecutors present and the legal arguments that follow.
Citações Notáveis
They should have done a lot. They didn't do anything to help my baby.— Foulla Niotis, mother of victim Maria Niotis
I want justice for Maria and Isabella.— Foulla Niotis
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that he's being tried as an adult rather than in juvenile court?
Because the juvenile system is built around rehabilitation and confidentiality. Adult court means he faces potential life sentences, and his name becomes public. It signals that prosecutors believe the crime is too serious for the juvenile framework.
The mother mentioned stalking before the crash. Do we know if that was documented?
She says the family reported it to police and got no response. That's her allegation—that warning signs were missed or ignored. It's part of why she's questioning whether this was preventable.
Why was he released to his father so quickly after the crash?
The records don't explain the reasoning. He was detained for questioning, then released. His father called police. Two days later he was arrested. It's a gap that raises questions about the initial investigation.
What does the mother mean about him thinking he was untouchable?
She believes his relatives in law enforcement gave him a sense of immunity—that he thought the system wouldn't hold him accountable. Whether that's true or just her interpretation of events, it's clearly shaped how she sees what happened.
Are there any other details about the victims?
They were both seventeen, riding an electric bike together. The 911 callers describe chaos and desperation. Beyond that, the record focuses on the legal proceedings rather than who these girls were.