NJ Teen Accused In Double Murder Of 2 High School Girls Will Face Adult Trial
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June 26, 2026NJ Teen Accused In Double Murder Of 2 High School Girls Will Face Adult Trial
NJ Teen Accused In Double Murder Of 2 High School Girls Will Face Adult Trial
According to the Union County Prosecutor's Office, on Friday the adolescent accused in the collision that claimed the lives of two Cranford High School students last year will face an adult trial.
The 18-year-old Vincent Battiloro has been sent to adult court and will be charged with two charges of first-degree murder in this case.
Police were summoned to Burnside Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. at the end of September of last year, following reports that two adolescent females on an electric bicycle had been hit by a car.
The two females attended Cranford High School. After the collision, they were transported to nearby hospitals, where they subsequently passed away, according to authorities.
Residents reacted as word of the crash spread around the town last fall, and schools offered counseling support in response to the catastrophe. After an investigation including Cranford police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office, Battiloro was eventually placed under arrest, according to authorities.
At the time of the collision, Battiloro was seventeen years old.
According to officials, the lawsuit will now take place in Union County Superior Court.
On September 29, 2025, Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas were riding electronic bikes down Burnside Avenue when they were killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Court documents and reports that Battiloro had been stalking at least one of the girls for months prior to the collision led to Battiloro's identification as the culprit. He faces fifteen more citations in addition to two murder charges.Since the girls' death in September, several memorials and tributes have been organized in their honor, including a decorated gazebo downtown.
Tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the family by the Cranford and larger Union County community at the end of 2025 through a music sale organized by a local DJ in collaboration with a nearby restaurant.
