Vincent Battiloro Indicted on Two Murder Counts in Cranford Teens’ Deaths

A Union County grand jury has indicted an 18 year old Garwood man on two counts of murder in the deaths of two Cranford teenagers. Union County Life is reporting the indictment, which Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Cranford Police Chief Matthew Nazzaro announced. The grand jury returned the indictment on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The defendant is Vincent Battiloro.

Police in Cranford received a report at about 5:26 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2025, that two teenage girls riding an electric bicycle had been struck by a vehicle on Burnside Avenue. Officers identified the girls as Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17 and both students at Cranford High School and best friends. The girls were taken to area hospitals, where they later died.

Investigators executed a search warrant for the vehicle. According to court documents, dash camera footage allegedly shows Battiloro getting into a Jeep, driving on Burnside Avenue, accelerating behind the girls, and striking them at a high rate of speed. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office and the Cranford Police Department took Battiloro into custody.

Battiloro was a juvenile at the time of the incident. He was waived to adult court on June 26, 2026, and his case is proceeding in the criminal division of Union County Superior Court. A case review hearing is scheduled for later this month before Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh.

The girls’ families have maintained that the crash was not an accident. They have said Battiloro had been harassing Niotis and that she had obtained a restraining order against him before the crash. These are the families’ claims and have not been established in court.

A candlelight vigil was recently held to mark the first anniversary of the crash.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective Alex Lanza at 908-370-4318, or Cranford Detective Lt. Spencer Durkin at 908-709-7346.

The charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Find more Cranford public safety news and local updates on Union County Life.

Q: Who was indicted in the Cranford teen crash?
A: A Union County grand jury indicted Vincent Battiloro, 18, of Garwood, on two counts of murder.

Q: What happened on Sept. 29, 2025?
A: Police received a report that two teenage girls riding an electric bicycle had been struck by a vehicle on Burnside Avenue in Cranford. Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, were taken to area hospitals, where they later died.

Q: What does the evidence show, according to court documents?
A: Dash camera footage allegedly shows Battiloro getting into a Jeep, accelerating behind the girls, and striking them at a high rate of speed. These are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Q: What happens next in the case?
A: The case is in the criminal division of Union County Superior Court. A case review hearing is scheduled for later this month before Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh.

Q: Who should I contact with information about the case?
A: Contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective Alex Lanza at 908-370-4318, or Cranford Detective Lt. Spencer Durkin at 908-709-7346