An 18-year-old with tens of thousands of online followers now faces formal murder charges for the deaths of two Cranford High School students. Vincent Battiloro of Garwood was indicted Wednesday on two first-degree counts. Prosecutors say he aimed his Jeep at Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas while they rode an electric bicycle together. The girls, both 17, died after the impact on Burnside Avenue.
The crash took place about 5:26 p.m. on September 29, 2025. Cranford officers arrived to find the two teens seriously injured. Both were taken to hospitals and later pronounced dead. Battiloro was still 17 then. Authorities moved his case from juvenile to adult court months later.
Dashboard camera video from the Jeep forms the heart of the case, according to an affidavit. Investigators say it shows Battiloro heading to Burnside Avenue, turning around, and flooring it behind the e-bike. The vehicle struck the girls at high speed. It stopped on Lincoln Avenue West. Officials allege he then ran toward Lincoln Park on foot.
Home cameras and people who saw the scene filled in more pieces. Police matched the Jeep’s plates and brought Battiloro in. He claimed a stranger in a red mask holding a knife had taken the vehicle from him. Detectives arrested him right after the crash, released him, and picked him up again two days later on the murder charges. His name became public once the case shifted to adult court.
Maria’s family has long said Battiloro bothered her before that day and that she sought protection. Those claims stand apart from the indictment itself. The day after the girls died, Battiloro streamed live on YouTube about what happened. He already had a big TikTok audience of roughly 40,000.
Arraignment is set for October 27, 2026. The grand jury’s decision pushes the prosecution ahead, but the charges remain unproven. Battiloro keeps the presumption of innocence. The fatal collision occurred on Burnside Avenue in Cranford, a Union County town west of New York City.
Local residents remember the two friends who shared the e-bike that afternoon. Court papers paint a picture of a deliberate strike followed by a quick exit. The upcoming hearing will mark the next step in a case that has stayed in the public eye for more than a year.
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